The Peoples Democratic Party presidential pick, Governor of Katsina State, Umaru Yar'Adua, seems a good person. However, there is growing concern over his health. Yar'adua is said to have a serious kidney problem. Will his kidneys hold? How healthy is Mr. Yar'Adua?
During the PDP nomination, text messages circulated among party members alleging that Yar'Adua has a severe kidney ailment and may not withstand the rigors of presidential job.
Trying to quickly deflate the damage it could cause, Yar'adua has acknowledged he had a kidney issue. He dismissed reports that his health cannot sustain the onerous chores of a president, recalling: "I was elected as governor in 1999. In the Year 2000 about the last quarter of that year, I took ill. I realised that the problem was my kidney. I went to Germany for treatment and I got treated, then I came back.
Yar'adua also described the Federal Government's method of fighting corruption as apt even as he dismissed speculations that he would provide collective protection for some of his colleagues against plans by the anti-corruption agencies to probe them after leaving office in 2007.
"Whatever the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is doing, as a national institution, it's a system, I cannot provide protection for anybody including myself."
Yar'Adua, who said he would not seek power just for the purpose of enjoying the paraphernalia which the office confers on its occupant, said he threw his hat into the rings because he felt that "for the first time, Nigeria has a real chance of progressing towards nationhood and such chances present themselves rarely to generations.
It may be too early to ask, but it is not clear if Yar'adua would have the guts to investigate the misadventure of former military officers, such as General Ibrahim Babangida, in power. Always uneasy, Babangida is already making subtle overtures to Yar'adua. But will Yar'adua respond to Babangida?
His emergence is a surprise to the opposition. Many had thought names like Babangida, Gusa, Atiku, or Marwa would easily emerge.
Yar'Adua is believed to be a suitable candidate by many political watchers. He is largely seen as being honest, hardworking and cool-headed. However his health, and the apparent forceful backing he received from the establishment are two issues that he may have to contend with as the elections draw closer.
"The first priority of this government [is], they don't want anybody to come and scrape the foreign reserves," said supporter rooting for Yar'Adua. "Yar'Adua, even among all the Niger Delta governors that are receiving huge amounts of money, with little resources he received, and with the developments he put in place, he saved about 6.5 billion Nigerian naira [$53 million], as reserve. So, this is the type of man we are looking for, who will not tamper with the foreign reserves Obasanjo put in place."
Critics say Mr. Obasanjo, a former military ruler, has imposed candidates at the local and state levels, causing disaffection within the party.
Abubakar Siddique Mohammed is professor of political science at Ahmadu Bello University. He said the PDP candidate selection process was flawed. “You are in the United States. You know that the primaries are conducted in a transparent manner. Members of the party come out to choose their own candidate. But in virtually all the states of the federation, candidates were imposed by the governors. In some states, in fact delegates were not even allowed to vote. The cards were seized from them and given to chairmen of the party to do the actual voting. And so many people were actually eliminated by these panels even before they contested. And this is not good for democracy in this country,” he said.
A political analyst in Abuja, Maxi Okwu, described Yar'Adua's selection as a tragedy for Nigeria. "If we have free and fair elections, a man like Yar'Adua cannot win," noted Okwu. "One, he is an anonymous politician. His position on any major issue is not known. He is media shy. They say he has some health problems. I worry, a man who is foggy, or not known to have any view on issues is not the kind of president Nigeria needs at the moment."
