The Nigerian nation once again is being brought to a new ridicule in the face of the International world as loyalists to the ailing President Umaru Yara’Adua allegedly embark on billions of pounds bribing spree to scuttle the effort to commence the process of his removal and to create  a block  for the Jonathan Goodluck to step in as acting President.

The financial goodwill to pacify those with strong aces of the  removal effort are being schemed through some leaders  in both House of Senate and The House of Representatives.

Last week witnessed a major turning point in the two months of political drama and game-play as demonstrated by the ruling People’s Democratic government who had played on the psyche of the entire nation just to fuel their stay in power and guarantee their illegalities after claiming the President had bee slightly indisposed on the eve of his departure from the country.

There had been unrest in the mood of the international world about  the state of the nation in Nigeria that America’s  Secretary of State Mrs Hillary Clinton and other European counterparts expressed concern about how democracy in Nigeria had taken a ridiculous dimension with the sidetracking of provisions in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In a joint statement, Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton and European leaders urged Nigeria’s government Thursday to adhere to the young democracy’s constitution as it faces a “period of uncertainty” in the long absence of its ailing President.

The statement added:”Nigeria has expressed its resolve to adhere to constitutional processes during this difficult time. We commend that determination to address the current situation through appropriate democratic institutions. Nigeria’s continued commitment and adherence to its democratic norms and values are key to addressing the many challenges it faces.”

Already words are passing round about an alleged scheming,  aimed at stalling a democratic process in which about a sum of  N20billion has been earmarked by loyalists to Yaradua to  scuttle his removal while enforcing delay tactics on efforts to effect a change of Nigeria’s leadership.

It is emerging  through a report in Sahara reporters that closest associates of missing and sickly Nigerian ruler, Umaru Yar’adua, have gone on a bribing spree to scuttle moves to remove him from office.

The Internet news site reported:” In the face of increasing local and international pressure on Yar’adua to handover power to his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, the ailing “president’s” kitchen cabinet has handed Speaker of the House, Dimeji Bankole, the sum of N2 billion and another N4 billion to Senate President David Mark to stop any legislative or judicial initiative to either impeach Yar’adua or compel him to hand over power to Jonathan”.

The report went further” Some of the top players in Yar’adua’s unofficial but powerful inner cabinet are his wife Turai, former Governor James Onanefe Ibori, special economic aide, Tanimu Yakubu, Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa, and Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara.

Former President Ibrahim Babangida maintains constant consultation with the group.

It is not known how the kitchen cabinet hopes to impose their agenda on restive Nigerians, but Tanimu Yakubu reportedly told Bankole and Mark  over the weekend  that the Yar’adua group was prepared to spend three times what Obasanjo spent on his third term agenda to stop the popular movement for Yar’adua to resign and hand over power to Jonathan.

The group’s selling point against Jonathan is to tell legislators, judges and Nigerian opposition groups that Jonathan is too close to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and, as president, would be controlled by the hugely despised Obasanjo.

In interviews with several lawmakers as well as sources close to the Yar’adua camp, Saharareporters gathered that the huge pay offs to Bankole and Mark were part payment of a N20 billion campaign to stop the judiciary and the legislature from acting against Yar’adua as he struggles against a deteriorating health condition.

Several sources told Saharareporters that Speaker Bankole has always been a central player in the project to frustrate Jonathan, beginning the day Yar’adua was evacuated from Nigeria on November 23, 2009.

We had reported a deal which delivered $5 million to Bankole through an oil lifting company -Addax Petroleum-to stop the lower house from embarking on any debate that would have forced the House of Representatives to take a position.

Bankole has also infiltrated and compromised the leadership of a group of 200 lawmakers who made their intention clear last week to ask Yar’adua to transmit the letter to Jonathan to act as president pending his return.

Saharareporters sources said the legislative group had planned to introduce a resolution next Tuesday that would give a definitive deadline for Yar’adua to transmit his letter of handover pending his return.
But Bankole as well as David Mark have been recruited with a combination of lush cash dole outs as well as juicy contracts to sabotage the plans.

Last week, the Senate passed a resolution asking Yar’adua to transmit a letter of handover, but the resolution had no force or traction to it because it deliberately did not include a deadline.

In the words of Senate spokesperson, Ayogu Eze, it was “political solution” not a legislative action.

In addition to huge bribes to legislators and judges, the members of Yar’adua’s kitchen cabinet have resolved to deploy a few strategies to handle a restive nation in the days ahead.

Part of this strategy is to use the media in a constant campaign to misinform the Nigerian public to the effect that Yar’adua’s return to Nigeria was imminent.

“The plan is to tell Nigerians each week that President Yar’adua is on his way to Nigeria,” said a source aware of the plan by the Yar’adua camp.

He added that the ultimate plan “is to keep everybody confused until such a time that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will decide to have an early convention to pick its candidate for the 2011 presidential election.”

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