Saharareporters has confirmed that Aliyu Gusau, National Security Adviser to Goodluck Jonathan, has tendered his resignation. Our source revealed that Mr. Gusau would on Monday pick up the form to join the race for the Nigerian presidency.
Saharareporters has confirmed that Aliyu Gusau, National Security Adviser to Goodluck Jonathan, has tendered his resignation. Our source revealed that Mr. Gusau would on Monday pick up the form to join the race for the Nigerian presidency.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
Saharareporters could also confirm that Mr. Jonathan had accepted Gusau's resignation, which was tendered yesterday shortly before the NSA joined Abubakar Atiku, Ibrahim Babangida and Bukola Saraki to sign a declaration indicating their agreement to present a single presidential candidate from the north.
Jonathan appointed Gusau NSA during the political crisis that engulfed Nigeria as a result of Yar'adua's ill health and prolonged absence from public view. It would be the third time Gusau would serve in that capacity.
Gusau was regarded as a stabilizing factor in the Jonathan presidency, but since Yar'adua’s death he had emerged a major political liability for Jonathan. Sources close to Jonathan accused him of sometimes running a parallel structure at the presidency. As a result, Jonathan often reportedly sidelined or by-passed him, relying more on Gusau’s Deputy, Col. Kayode Are (rtd), who is expected to take over as NSA in a few days time.
Saharareporters had detailed Gusau’s involvement in numerous corruption scandals involving huge sums of money. Sources within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission revealed that Gusau obstructed several corruption investigations. His most notorious case of corrupt meddling was the role he played in bringing back the controversial Vaswani brothers to Nigeria and shielding them from prosecution. He also brokered the corrupt deal that provided safe passage for Erastus Akingbola, the rogue former CEO of Intercontinental Bank who fled to London in the wake of the EFCC’s investigation of his shady financial practices. Despite his implication in large-scale graft in the bank he once ran, Mr. Akingbola returned last month to Nigeria after Gusau had arranged a kangaroo process to guarantee his freedom from serious prosecution.
Several political sources indicated that Gusau’s corrupt deals were driven by his desire to accumulate as much cash as possible in order to mount a presidential bid. Apart from his career in national security, he has also been a perpetual "presidential candidate".
Saharareporters has learned that Gusau, Babangida, Saraki and Atiku have worked out a deal to ultimately support Babangida’s presidential candidacy. As part of the deal, Abubakar Atiku would nominate Babangida’s VP candidate while Bukola Saraki would become the chief of staff to Babangida.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });