Between Aisha and Buhari

Yesterday, I promised to write a commentary on the our First Lady's recent BBC interview. Between last night and this afternoon, I've been gathering information and opinions from people who may know better than me on the matter so that I can write a well informed piece.

However, today, I capitulated and decided, for the first time, not to write on something that the public would eagerly welcome a clarification.

The matter is more of a home affair with the President's family on the one hand and his very dear nephew, Malam Mamman, on the other.

The President, many hold, is on the side of his family and I cannot assure anyone that he did not have a fore knowledge of Aisha going public.

Many people will not understand this. It has to do with the intense attachment to, and the respect the President has for, his older nephew who, whatever are his faults, has lived with the a President through thin and thick, even though evidently, in this case, a number of issues of concern to the President have are now evident, especially on the conduct of the nephew and his associates in the Villa which many see as falling far below the President's standards. But whatever is one's veneration for his close relation, the consensus of his entire family also matters. It is actually like being between the rock and the hard place.

So the issue is fundamentally one for the President to handle and he may know best how to go about it. We do not need to jump into the fray, especially for someone known to - and respects - all the major players in the conflict.

I will rather pray for the President to be decisive, unlike the ineptitude he showed in settling the myriad of CPC matters which drove me away from him in 2010. Our prayer is important.

The only thing I will say here is that this issue has brought about matters of governance which the President must revisit. He must take charge of his appointments and he, as I will advise some APC governors too, must factor in APC politicians (I'm not one) into the equation of governance if they need the support of their party members in 2019. The consequences of treating the two with levity are very dire.

I have, however, chosen to write him elaborately on the two issues personally and wishes to have an audience with him to discuss them instead of sharing it with the public here.

I am sorry if I have disappointed my readers on my decline to amply comment on the matter as usual.

Dr. Aliyu U. Tilde
15/10/2016