Logo quando muitos nigerianos suspiravam aliviados que talvez o drama dos últimos três meses estivesse enfim resolvido, uma nova trama se desenvolve: apenas duas semanas depois da tão antecipada confirmação do vice-presidente Goodluck Jonathan como presidente em exercício, o presidente Yar'Adua viajou de volta para Abuja na calada da noite.
No início, analistas presumiram que a chegada de Yar'Adua em Abuja significava seu retorno iminente às obrigações presidenciais. Mas, à medida em que os dias passavam sem comunicados presidenciais, muitos começaram a temer que a situação dele fosse mais séria que o imaginado.
Da blogosfera as reações foram variadas, com muitos expressando simpatia à liderança enferma; entretanto, o sentimento que prevaleceu foi a frustração com contínuo sigilo para com a situação de Yar'Adua e suas futuras intenções.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta escreveu sobre a anormalidade de tal excessivo sigilo:
President Yar’Adua is, and will not be the only sick president. When Fidel Castro (Cuban President) became seriously ill, he was televised live on his sick bed when Venezuela’s President (Hugo Chavez) visited him. When late Yasser Arafat (The Leader of Palestine Liberation Organization) was taken to a French hospital before his death, the entire world was kept informed of his situation. Also when former Israeli Prime Minster (Ariel Sharon) was taken to hospital, the world was kept informed. I find it too difficult to understand the secrecy surrounding our president’s sickness.
Imnakoya também expressou sua frustração no blog Grandiose Parlor:
The man is clearly incapacitated and not able to perform his duties required under the law. In fact, it now appears the man is not even in the right state — physically and mentally, to make his situation known to the people who gave him his mandate! This is what the recent events strongly suggest since his return from Saudi Arabia about a week ago.
So why has it remained a Herculean task to the representatives of the Nigerian people to do the right thing and relieve the man of his burden?
Why is the conscience of our elected officials so dead to the expectations of the people whom they represent?
Então por que continua uma tarefa hercúlea para os representantes do povo nigeriano fazer a coisa certa e aliviar o homem desse ‘peso'?
Por que a consciência de quem elegemos é tão morta para com as expectativas das pessoas que representam?
Em fevereiro, a confirmação do vice-presidenete Goodluck Jonathan como presidente em exercício terminou com meses de incerteza política; mas o retorno de Yar'Adua confunde a situação, e, para muitos nigerianos, só faz surgir mais dúvidas.
SolomonSydelle escreveu no blog Nigerian Curiosity:
The main question on every Nigerian's mind is why did Yar'Adua choose now to return to the country after spending 3 months abroad? There are likely various reasons for this choice but some key factors spelling the significantly diminished political capital of Yar'Adua and his supporters could be a main reason.
Max Siollun fez avaliação semelhante do retorno de Yar'Adua:
The timing is very telling. The political mood in Nigeria has been moving toward having Yar’Adua PERMANENTLY declared incapacitated, and the “acting” President Good luck Jonathan has been treated with some hope and optimism with many assuming that Yar’Adua was not coming back, and urging Jonathan to carry out reforms.
Yar’Adua’s return must be viewed in this context. He and his allies are feeling the heat, and are trying to pre-empt any moves that could permanently sideline Yar’Adua from power.
O regresso de Yar'Adua deve ser entendido nesse contexto. Ele e seus aliados sentem a tensão e estão tentando se prevenir de movimentos que poderiam retirar Yar'Adua permanentemente do poder.
Muitos analistas veem o regressso do presidente com uma manobra política para enfraquecer a administração Jonathan e fortalecer os aliados de Yar'Adua. Alguns apontam a esposa do presidente, Hajia Turai Yar'Adua, como figura central das supostas intrigas.
Em 25 de fevereiro, o veículo de comunicação nigeriano 234Next publicou um artigo sobre as supostas manobras políticas da primeira-dama nos bastidores. O artigo recebeu mais de 600 comentários e foi citado amplamente na blogosfera nigeriana.
Rayo comentou sobre a aparente onipotência da primeira-dama:
Turai is back and the whole world knows it. Who else can demote Goodluck Jonathan from Acting President to Vice President then return him to Acting President, all within 24hours without National Assembly or Federal Executive Council’s input, if not Almighty Turai?
Opeyemi Agbaje soltou sua reclamação:
The constitution does not recognise a first lady, any minister or other appointee of a president and certainly not his personal security aides and childhood friends as legitimate inheritors of political power in the event of the absence, indisposition, medical leave or incapacitation of a president.
Porém muitos comentaristas viram o artigo da 234NextBut como sensacionalizado. Gaskiya, uma comentadora no site, escreveu:
Stop printing lies. The first lady cannot sign any document as she is not recognized constitutionally. She only flew in yesterday with her ailing husband and now someone is saying she had taken over the affairs of government of this country?
Muitos veem as supostas manipulações da primeira-dama como sintomáticas de um sistema maior de falhas.
Loomnie escreveu:
If she can command the power she is claimed to [be] commanding then the so-called ruling elite are to blame for rolling over and letting her take control.
And that might well be the case. In many situations in Nigeria, if you want to curry favour with the boss you do not go to the vice, you go to the wife. Power is often seen as being embodied in the person who holds it. In order to have access to that power one needs someone who has unrestricted access to the Power.
E deve ser mesmo o caso. Na Nigéria, em muitas situações, para cair nas graças do patrão, você não recorre ao vice, mas à esposa. Com frequência, o poder é visto como encarnado na pessoa que o carrega. Para ter acesso ao poder, o mais necessário é ter alguém com acesso irrestrito ao poder.
Doofan, outro comentador no artigo da 234Next, teve visão semelhante:
Turai is a product of this society of ours. Why do you blame her alone? This battle is for the control of resources, party machinery, oil and funds. Do you guys think it’s for the good of this country? Next and the other media houses are more interested in sensation of the story than in reporting the actual facts. Our political class is as guilty as the first lady they made her that powerful by bribing her to get favours now they want Nigeria to think that she is the only devil and they are saints.
Outros sentiram a Sra. Yar'Adua concentrando poder às custas da saúde e da reputação do marido. Kayode Ogundamisi escreveu:
It is painfully embarrassing to see that we have been denied the privilege to empathise with the Yar'adua family over the predicament of their son and Turai must take the bulk of the responsibility for that because of the obvious choices she has made. She must be held accountable for the fact that rather than cushion her husband's pains, she is fueling the outrage that compounds his situation by insisting that he hangs unto power at the expense of Nigeria and his life.
Outro tema de discussão é a percepção de imobilidade do presidente em exercício, Goodluck Jonathan. Chxta expressou sentimentos, compartilhados por muito comentadores:
I was, and still am angry about the lack of spine shown by Goodluck Jonathan in this whole event. I mean, as C-in-C, even in an acting capacity, someone filed a flight plan of such magnitude and you did not know about it until the planes (not plane) were about to land?
Alguns espectadores argumentam que nem a Primeira-Dama, nem o presidente em exercício realmente dão as cartas em Abuja. Sahara Reporters publicou um artigo que apontava para uma complexa interação de interesses, na qual a sra. Yar'Adua e Jonathan são os únicos dois atores numa constelação de elites poderosas sempre em mudança. O artigo apontava os governadores estatais da Nigéria (Fórum dos Governadores) como os donos primários do poder na capital; Chike Orjiajo, que colaborou com a mesma publicação, teve visão parecida:
Jonathan is a product of a consensus contraption called doctrine of necessity. He is standing on a straw erected by his traducers for their own political expediency. There is a limit to what he can do without upsetting the apples carte. What is on offer presently is politics at its naked form. Could you imagine the decision of the illicit Governors forum to keep Yar’Adua in power dead or alive? The moment they suspected Jonathan was trying to exercise independent power by his appointment of Presidential Advisory council; they struck. We all have a role to play in the effort to rescue us from the gang of Governors, their ministers and National Assembly members that they manipulate at will. Much of the work to force them into submission is ours and not Jonathan's. We have to keep protesting without let or loose. By my estimation, Jonathan is doing all right.