The last two months have been harrowing for Nigerians. We have had to contend with the painful reality of not having a president doing his job right here .Even worse is the fact that little is known about the true state of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s health .The last stunt by the pro Yaradua forces in the presidency was to get him on BBC where he said he was  making tremendous progress with his medical treatment.Yet nothing  more has been officially revealed .All we had been told earlier was that the president was suffering from acute pericarditis.

Last week however was an even more unsettling  period for Nigerians who woke up on Monday to start receiving text messages about a report on the death of the president.On this occasion, the peddlers of the rumour tried to enhance its believability  as the report was traceable to a website www.americanchronicle.com.    Sadly even the author of that report which claimed that YarAdua had died was rather reckless as he wrote that the president died on December 10 ,presumably 2009 .He later stood by his story but acknowledged  that he made a mistake over the date of the death which he claimed ought to have read January 10,2010.This correction was made in another online  newsreport by www.thewillnigeria.com. Surprisingly, Yar’Adua’s resurrection,as PMNEWS tagged it on Tuesday  on BBC radio interview rather than calm nerves even added more to the puzzle over the president’s illness.Many claimed that the voice on radio might have been computer generated. But some others said the president was in deed the one who spoke.No one can say for sure until we see him on NTA or any other television network addressing us.

There was a report last week  too that plans were in deed being made to make the president address the nation through the NTA.We hear all kinds of things these days.Whether the president had actually suffered brain damage as NEXT reported; or that he died and the Turai his wife was hiding it from us as America Chronicle claimed, remained unconfirmed as well. What seemed discernible  from reports was that Nigeria may  have become one massive puppet enclave manipulated by those who want to see YarAdua ‘survive’ till 2011.I wish him speedy recovery really.

But behind the farcade of the president getting better when, politicians have been embarking on their plots for a post YarAdua era.Interestingly even his wife is mentioned among those looking at the possibility of another man being at the helm of affairs.Insiders said as soon as the handwriting became clear, she began to find ways by which she could fit in.She was said to have sounded out a few people with a view to allowing her become Goodluck Jonathan’s vice president if the current veepee emerges as president.Turai’s plot is to ensure that she would emerge as president in 2011.Last week, it became clear that her plot did not fly as some stakeholders  in  Peoples Democratic Party PDP seem to have seriously kicked against her.

The president’s wife has some fallback plans ,we are told.She is believed to be throwing up two names now as the likely vice presidential candidate if Jonathan becomes president.She will be comfortable with either Adamu Aliero , the minister of the federal capital territory or Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state as the next vice president.Yuguda is married to one of the president’s daughters.In fact he has recently named their new baby  after the president.But Yuguda may be having acceptability problems within his party.At home in Bauchi, he  seems to be  rolling from one crisis to the other.His biggest albatross may be the alleged corruption investigations reportedly going on over his deals and the fact that his Bauchi people may not be too happy with him for dumping the ANPP platform which earned him the people’s real vote.

The above scenario presupposes that Jonathan will succeed YarAdua.In fact, that is the most ideal situation and it is the only way to guarantee peace and stability if YarAdua does not return to office.But there have been clear hints as well that some shadowy forces are in deed plotting to stop Jonathan .And unlike what some may have been told, I think it is much clearer now to discerning minds that those forces are not entirely made up of northerners.In fact some northerners I know would rather have Jonathan as president  if YarAdua cannot continue.Reality is that the forces against Jonathan come from across the country .Interestingly the enemies of the veepee are more from the Niger Delta zone.

Reports say former governor James Ibori wants to be president and he is positioning himself to be vice president anytime soon.A Jonathan presidency will put some spanner in the works for him.Interestingly Ibori is very close to the Turai YarAdua-Aondoakaa circle in the presidency.Can you see the picture now.I know as you all do that Ibori talks less.And he gets his results silently.He apparently doesn’t even care what the media reports about him. Ibori is reported to be getting support from at least two serving governors south south;an indication that there is indeed home trouble for Jonathan.Interestingly, one of the governors who favours Ibori is also known to be a regular visitor to Jonathan.See what politicians can do? Trying to enjoy the best of every world : or is it political espionage of the highest order? The truth will certainly emerge soon.

Or is it the earlier report that David Mark the senate president too was eyeing the presidency? He was said to be exploring ways an means by which he could actualize his dream.Don’t forget too that former president Olusegun Obasanjo who installed YarAdua in the first place is reportedly busy plotting to have Governor Sule Lamido emerge as the next Vice president.How far he can go remains to be seen .But there are clear hints too that though many may not hate Lamido as a person ,some detest the fact that Obasanjo is the man seeking to instal the Jigawa state governor.Again, in Nigerian politics ,perhaps anything is possible.

One truth is self evident.And the fact is that there is no way anybody can stop Jonathan from succeeding YarAdua  once  there is absolute confirmation that Umaru cannot continue as president.That is what the constitution says.Any plot to subvert the constitution may be a total waste of time . Meanwhile ,I almost forgot that even the BBC interview may be an indication that  the acutely ill president YarAdua is equally plotting his way back to office.If that happens, we shall be back to ground zero,to be propelled into another super go-slow era.
The only sad plot I read about from online journalists is the plan by some politicians to lure the military back.I hope this plot will fail because it will be a major disaster.Democracy remains the best option.