On Aisha Buhari’s outburst

For the umpteenth time, the first lady, Aisha Buhari, accused Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President of double loyalty for allegedly taking directive from Mamman Daura who happens to be the president’s kinsman.

Whether the first lady’s allegation is true or not, will depend on Garba Shehu’s version of the story. Yes, Nigerians want to hear from Garba Shehu to be able to assess the truth of the matter and pass their judgment. However, this is not the first time the first lady fired a salvo. It would be recalled that during Buhari’s first tenure, Aisha Buhari blamed some cabals in the presidency. She boldly stated that her husband has been caged by some cabals, though President Muhammadu Buhari, who was in Germany had jokingly replied that his wife belongs to the kitchen and the other room.

Since president Buhari came into office, it seems his wife has not been in a good mood. Why? She has been fighting many battles within the family cabals and above all, her husband’s relatives and kin. But the trouble seems to stem from before the first tenure; during his campaign, the president had promised not to operate the office of the first lady.

To him, the office is not constitutionally recognized and he had indicated that he wanted his wife to be referred to as “wife of the president.”

In view of the promise, Aisha had never operated the office of the first lady but as wife to the president, she attended many official functions and maintained her pet programmes aimed at empowering women and the less privileged in the country. But after the 2019 election victory, the president made a u-turn and appointed many domestic aides to the office of the first lady. Now, Aisha Buhari enjoys everything attached to her office unlike during the first tenure.

Her recent outburst against Garba Shehu and other cabals that she believes to have surrounded her husband is unfortunate; the verbal media war has caused national embarrassment. The opposition PDP and other social critics have blamed Buhari for not being in charge of the government. While we cannot rule out the existence of some powerful forces or cabals in Buhari’s government as claimed by the first lady, the controversial acts of shame could not be unconnected with the battle for supremacy in the presidency. Do you think the frosty relationship is motivated by love for the country and its development? No. It is centred on who gets what and when. It seems the first lady wants to wield an enormous power; unfortunately, she had to contend with the likes of Daura who has the trust of Buhari and seems like a stumbling block to her.

The seemingly ongoing cold war between Aisha and Mamman Daura should have been entirely a family matter but the way it is made public is ridicule to the president and the country. The president should break his silence and summon an emergency family meeting to put to rest the rivalry because the buck will always stop on his desk.

Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua,

Kaduna State.