Civilised leadership - Vanguard

Written by Donu Kogbara

Friday, 21 December 2007

I know many PDP loyal ists who grumble about President Yar’Adua in private gatherings. They accuse him of not being dynamic enough and say that their party will be humiliated and destroyed if he doesn’t become more aggressive. When judges declared, a few weeks ago, that Usman Saidu Dakingari, his son-in-law, had unjustly acquired the governorship of Kebbi State, some of Yar’Adua’s critics shook their heads sadly and wondered how he could have “carelessly” allowed his daughter’s husband to endure such embarrassment. “What is the point of being a senior member of a serving President’s family clan if your political career is not going to be protected at all costs?” was the question that one deeply disgruntled detractor asked me. He — and others of his ilk — are also extremely unhappy about the fact that Yar’Adua is not even willing to make an exception for himself and use underhand methods to ensure that he wins his own election tribunal case. They wring their hands in abject frustration and assure me, almost tearfully, that Yar’Adua is “selfishly” jeopardizing the collective interests of everyone whose job or power-base is dependent on the survival of his regime. And they expect me to sympathise with them because I’m a member of a Presidential oil/gas reform implementation committee that will, presumably, be hastily disbanded if Yar’Adua ceases to be President. Full Story