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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000211 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/W, AF/RSA, AF/PDPA, DRL, INR/AA 
AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE PASS TO AMEMBASSY MALABO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/01/26 
TAGS: PGOV OVIP PREL PINR SOCI KPAO NI
SUBJECT: POLITICAL MANEUVERING CONTINUES; YAR'ADUA REMAINS OUT OF 
SIGHT 
 
REF: ABUJA 0205 AND PREVIOUS 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: James P. McAnulty, Political Counselor, U.S. Embassy 
Abuja, Political Section; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 
 
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SUMMARY 
 
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¶1. (C) According to multiple contacts, President Yar'Adua was 
returned to Nigeria to prevent the Federal Executive Council from 
declaring him permanently incapacitated.  One contact, who spoke 
recently with the President's brother in Saudi Arabia, confirmed 
that Yar'Adua remains in "bad shape," with his weight down to 40 
kilograms.  There is speculation in Senate circles that First Lady 
Turai Yar'Adua may, as a stalling tactic, try to to dissolve the 
Cabinet and nominate new ministers favorable to her clique.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
¶2. (C) Jonathan (Tunde) Mark, Special Assistant to (and son of) 
Senate President David Mark, told PolOff February 25 there is 
widespread political disquiet in Nigeria.  He indicated that many 
remain worried that First Lady Turai Yar'Adua and her cohorts would 
attempt to dissolve the Federal Executive Council in Yar'Adua's 
name, before Cabinet Ministers could vote to establish a medical 
panel to determine whether Yar'Adua remained capable of resuming 
his duties as President.  With the time required to nominate and 
re-confirm new ministers (all of whom would presumably support and 
report to Turai), Tunde remarked that this "small group of people 
determined to cling to power come hell or high water" could buy at 
least another eight to ten weeks in power.  Mark applauded the 
February 25 press statement issued by U.S. Assistant Secretary 
Carson, adding that the international community should maintain 
pressure to resolve the issue and not let a tiny group around 
Yar'Adua hold the country hostage for their personal gain. 
 
 
 
¶3. (C) Tunde continued that, with the Yar'Adua family back, Acting 
President Goodluck Jonathan could not exercise power freely or 
consolidate his position.  He said some senators had discussed 
raising the issue of which person commanded the Presidential Guard 
to mobilize upon Yar'adua's return and investigate why the Acting 
President's Office was not aware of the order or consulted.  Tunde 
opined that, beside capacity issues, the Nigerian Security Services 
suffered from basing their actions on personal loyalties, rather 
than a sense of the greater public or national good.  Without 
elaborating, he noted that "People find out they're in trouble when 
the Director of the SSS will no longer take their calls." 
 
 
 
¶4. (C) Presidential Advisor Sani Musa told PolCouns February 25 
that President Yar'Adua returned from Saudi Arabia the previous day 
to prevent the February 25 FEC from establishing a medical panel to 
declare Yar'Adua permanently incapacitated. 
 
 
 
¶5. (C) Musa said he had passed through Jeddah on the way back to 
Nigeria from Dubai the previous week and met with the President's 
brother Adullahi Yar'Adua, a former lieutenant colonel who had 
resigned recently from the Nigerian military.  Musa said he had 
wanted to visit the hospitalized President but was not able to do 
so.  According to Musa, Abullahi Yar'Adua claimed that he had seen 
his brother in the hospital about two weeks ago and described him 
as in "bad shape," with his weight having dropped to 40 kilograms. 
 
 
 
¶6. (C) Musa noted that he had heard only three hours beforehand 
about Yar'Adua's impending return to Abuja.  He noted that, after 
arrival, the aircraft crew had turned off exterior lights to 
prevent anyone nearby from taking photographs of President Yar'Adua 
 
ABUJA 00000211  002 OF 002 
 
 
as he moved from the aircraft to a waiting ambulance.  Musa said he 
heard that Yar'Adua had walked the short distance from the aircraft 
to the ambulance, which had pulled up as close as possible to the 
aircraft.  He denied a press report alleging that Yar'Adua had to 
be transported on a stretcher. 
 
 
 
¶7. (C) Senator Abubakar Umar Gada (PDP-Sokoto East) confirmed to 
PolOff February 25 that the Senate had voted the previous day to 
amend sections 145 and 190 of the Nigerian Constitution regarding 
the transfer of power in the absence of the President or State 
Governors.  The amendment, as passed, states that, in the absence 
of any written notification or verifiable communication, if the 
President or a Governor is out of the country for more than two 
weeks, the Vice President and Deputy Governor, respectively, will 
automatically assume the duties of Acting President and Acting 
Governor. According to Gada, the measure passed easily with 80 
percent support in the Senate, including 17 absences, four no 
votes, and one abstention among the 109 senators.  Gada commented 
that the action was taken "to prevent in the future the mess we 
currently find ourselves in." (N.B.:  The amendment must also gain 
approval by a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives 
and by two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly.  END NOTE.) 
 
 
 
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COMMENT 
 
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¶8. (C) Overall de-facto control of the government remains 
uncertain, as those supporting the recently-returned President or 
the recently-designated Acting President struggle behind-the-scenes 
for advantage.  Mission will continue to monitor the uncertain 
situation and counsel adherence to the rule of law and the 
Constitution.  END COMMENT. 
SANDERS