By George Onmonya Daniel
Governor Nasir El-Rufai told BBC Hausa that he would name the people in Aso Rock Villa working against the All Progressive Congress (APC) victory in the upcoming presidential election but not now. He added that, “Just because we respect you does not mean you can take us for granted…” referring to the someone in the Villa. He had earlier in an interview with Channels Television stated that these people in the Villa trying to see APC fail are not members of the party.
There is only one man in the Aso Rock Villa that Governor Nasir El-Rufai who doesn’t respect or fear anyone must be talking and that man is no one but Mamman Daura. Everybody knows Mamman Daura is the de facto president but no one mentions it. The triumvirate were Mamman Daura, late Abba Kyari and late Ismail Isa Funtua. Mallak Abba Kyari, the most powerful Chief of Staff in the history of Chief of Staffs succumb to the Corona Virus epidemic in 2020. Alhaji Ismail Funtua died later, leaving Mamman Daura as the sole man now standing. All ill Daura has to relinquish some of his power and be takes care of his health nowadays.
The other members who assist the cabal, Babagana Kingibe, MKO Abiola’s running mate in the 1992 annulled election and National Intelligence Agency (NIA) boss, Rufai Abubakar, do not have much power, they only advise the president. What all these man have in common is that they are men of letters who were all journalist or writers. They formed a fortress around Buhari that no one can reach the president without them. In fact, the president was so dependent on that that he one time instructed that all his Ministers should not bother about seeing him but anyone who had any issue should see his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari. The demise of Abba Kyari and Ismail Isa Funtua completely weakened the President Buhari. But an ill Mamman Daura who is the boss of the cabal and the brain controlling the villa looks like he isn’t don’t yet with the game of the throne and this game as the Villa is being accused of, is to mess up Asiwaju Tinubu chances of becoming the president.
In the same BBC Hausa interview, Aisha Buhari, the wife of the President, had severally accused this group of hijacking her husband’s government. Everyone knew she was talking about Mamman Daura and his friends. President Buhari handed over everything to them because of how they protected him when he was ill and how they ensured he got back to his feet. These were not only family members, these were friends indeed who have to make sure they do everything for the president to keep themselves in power.
There is only one man Governor Nasir El-Rufai as tough and as blunt as he wants the world to see him couldn’t mention his name, that man is Mamman Daura. Most people who talk about the cabal publicly have continued to use innuendos yet in private everyone tells you Mamman Daura is the man calling the shot.
Is Mamman Daura or the Villa Cabal behind the Naira change or the fuel scarcity biting the nation to the point of chaos right now? To exonerate President Muhammad Buhari of all responsibilities and blame the cabal is hypocritical. The Northern political elites have always tried to shield Buhari from blame and try to blame it on anyone and any group, sometimes they even blame the masses. Mallam Nasir El-Rufai also did the same, blame some people and not President Buhari.
If the Naira change and the fuel scarcity has anything to do with the election, then Buhari is behind it. Just go back to the APC presidential primaries and watch the video. President Buhari and Asiha Buhari were visibly not happy from their countenance as Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu clinched the APC presidential ticket. The attempt to blame outsiders who Nasir El-Rufai said are not members of the APC and exonerate President Buhari from all blames is dishonest and he knows that. President Buhari who announced happily that the Naira change was to reduce vote buying knows exactly what he is doing and the APC and their members should be pointing an accusing finger at him.
