MINISTERIAL DELEGATION TRAVELS TO SAUDI ARABIA TO SEE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 000199

SIPDIS
STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/W, AF/RSA, AF/PDPA, DRL, INR/AA
AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE PASS TO AMEMBASSY MALABO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/01/26
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR SOCI KDEM KPAO NI
SUBJECT: MINISTERIAL DELEGATION TRAVELS TO SAUDI ARABIA TO SEE
YAR'ADUA

REF: ABUJA 0189 AND PREVIOUS

CLASSIFIED BY: James P. McAnulty, Political Counselor, U.S. Embassy
Abuja, Political Section; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)


1. (C) Secretary to the Government of the Federation Mahmud Yayale
Ahmed called the Ambassador shortly before 1 a.m., February 23, to
inform her of his impending departure for Saudi Arabia along with
five other Cabinet colleagues. As reported in reftel, the Federal
Executive Council had decided February 17 to dispatch a delegation
to Saudi Arabia to express appreciation to Saudi King Abdul Aziz
and visit with hospitalized President Yar'Adua and his family.
This decision came as a compromise to a separate proposal to
declare Yar'Adua as permanently incapacitated.




2. (SBU) Separately, Foreign Minister Chief Ojo Maduekwe explained
to the press that the Delegation had delayed departure from Abuja,
planned earlier for February 21 or 22, because of the need to
complete "protocol" arrangements with the Saudi Government. He
emphasized the delegation's mandate to thank the Saudi King for his
hospitality in hosting Yar'Adua's treatment and denied that
delegation constituted a "medical panel," despite inclusion of a
medical doctor, Health Minister Babatune Osotimehin.




3. (SBU) Separately, Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Abdullah
Aminchi insisted to the press February 22 that doctors at the
hospital in Jeddah -- not Saudi authorities -- had blocked access
by visitors to President Yar'Adua for medical reasons. He also
claimed to have seen Yar'Adua February 20 in his hospital room,
insisting that "he's really feeling better now." Meanwhile, a
February 23 press report attributed to the Saudi Government claimed
that it had not blocked any movements by Nigeria's President.
(COMMENT: Aminchi, who previously served as Deputy Governor under
Yar'Adua in Katsina State, had famously claimed weeks earlier that
Yar'Adua was sitting up in bed watching football matches on Saudi
television. END COMMENT.) In Abuja, the National Assembly
threatened to summon the Saudi Ambassador to Nigeria to explain why
Saudi authorities had allegedly refused to allow a delegation from
the House of Representatives to see Yar'Adua during a recent visit
to Saudi Arabia, according to the press.




4. (C) Former Head of State Muhammudu Buhari told DCM and PolCouns
February 22 that former President Obasanjo had appointed Yar'Adua
as the ruling party's presidential candidate even though he knew
Yar'Adua had a "terminal" condition. He predicted that, if the
delegation failed to see Yar'Adua, the National Assembly would
impeach the President. That same day, former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar separately told DCM and PolCouns that the delegation's
failure to see Yar'Adua would only mean that he remained
"inaccessible" and would prevent the delegation from judging the
President's medical condition. He claimed that First Lady Turai
Yar'Adua had invited him via text message two days earlier to visit
her and the President in Jeddah. Averring that he had not yet
decided on his response to the invitation, Atiku explained that he
had developed a close family and political relationship with the
President ("like an older brother") during the past 22 years after
the death of Yar'Adua's older sibling Shehu.



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COMMENT

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5. (C) Whether the official Ministerial delegation actually sees
President Yar'Adua remains unclear, even as of February 23.
Failure to see the ailing President, however, would increase
pressure upon the Federal Executive Council to initiate procedures
to declare the absent President as "permanently incapacitated."
END COMMENT.
SANDERS