SahelStandard - More revelations are emerging over the ongoing rupture within the Nigeria’s First Family.
It has emerged that President Muhammadu Buhari stepped on toes of powerful female cabal by his decision last year May to scrap the office of the First Lady.
Checks revealed that the cabal comprises of powerful Nigerian women who rely on the First Lady’s Office to exert influence on the President and the entire federal administration.
Insiders confided that the cabal transcends one administration or the other as its members allegedly hijack every First Lady for mutual interest and benefit.
“The cabal started from late Maryam Babangida.These women are very influential and they rotate themselves in term of inner kitchen cabinet from one government to the other.They control the President through the First Lady.
“They were with Hajia Maryam Abacha,Justice Fati Abubakar, late Stella Obasanjo,Turai Yar’Adua,Patience Jonathan.You know the role all these First Ladies played during the reign.if their husbands”, the source said.
It was gathered that the group was shocked and devastated when President Buhari made true his pledge to scrap the office,thereby cutting off vital pressure link to critical goveenment agencies and decisions.
Insiders said “in the past ,the First Lady’s Office is allocated ministerial nominees, some federal boards and agencies ,oil blocs,key capital projects as well as say in critical goveenment decisions.
“The cabal mostly handled allocations,provide funding ahead of reimbursements and mobilise their networks in support of the government of the way nationwide.The First Lady gained materially and in term of massive support for the husband in power”,the source said.
When President Buhari decided to scrap the office,elements within the female caucus had expected that the President will sustain the tradition by retaining all the privileges associated with the office despite its scrapping.
Our source hinted that a delegation of the cabal indeed met the wife of the President immediately after the Presidential decision in 2015,expressing confidence that the office will be allowed to function.
From May 2015 till now, the President, however, maintained his stance ,a situation said to have created frustration and anger within the female power caucus.
The President was quoted as having told lobbyists pushing for the resuscitation of the office that he would not yield to pressure for three reasons namely :
-“That the office had in the past fuelled corrupt practices within the Presidency and the Federal Government;
-“That he wants enforcement of the code urging non-application of state power for personaI benefit ;and
– “That it is morally wrong for his family to corruptly enrich themselves simply because he is the sitting President”
Our checks revealed that ever since,the female group has been piling pressure both on the wife of the President , Mrs Aisha Buhari and top leaders of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to force the hand of the President on the matter.
It is however not clear whether the BBC interview by the wife of the President is linked to the female group.
A source in the know however, said a link may not be unlikely as the wife of the President has been subjected to so much pressure in the last one year.
Source: SahelStandard
Source: SahelStandard
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