Moments after online news portal, Saharareporter broke the news on the resignation of the minister of defence, Lt.-Gen Aliyu Gusau, the Presidency and the Ministry of Defence denied the report stating that Gusau still remains the minister in charge of defence.
But the denial notwithstanding, The Punch in a report said it gathered that minister was on his way out of the cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan but for the pressure mounted on him at the instance of President Jonathan.
Sahara Reporters had reported that Gusau threatened to leave office instead of being ridiculed by Badeh and others.
According to the report, the minister, in company with the Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, were said to have been “talked down by the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, at a meeting between him and the service chiefs, a development that led to his decision to resign.
But the report by Punch said Jonathan had to quickly call for the intervention of the Senate President, David Mark, and a former dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida to make the minister have a rethink.
Punch report said
It was gathered that the intervention of the two men was at the instance of President Goodluck Jonathan. The President was said to have asked the two men to appeal to Gusau not to leave his government.
It was further learnt that Jonathan , who considered the move by the minister to leave office as ridiculous, also asked him (Gusau) to reconsider his position.
Apart from this, the President reasoned that his resignation could affect the image of the Federal Government negatively.
Our source said, “This was the reason the President asked Mark and Babangida to intervene by speaking with Gusau, which they did.
“The two of them spoke with Gusau and he agreed to stay back. The issues he raised that made him want to leave office are being resolved. I know that sooner than later, heads would roll in the military.”
The source confirmed that Gusau, who probably had an antidote to curb the bloodshed in the North-East, had summoned a meeting with the security chiefs on how to change military strategies in the zone.
“I can tell you that the military and everybody were surprised that Gusau wanted to leave the job. Although his threat of resignation would be denied by the Ministry of Defence, I can tell you that they won’t tell you the details of what transpired,” the source added.
Four former Heads of State – Generals Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar – as well as Senate President David Mark, were on Thursday conspicuously absent from the country’s centenary being held in Abuja. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar too was missing at the event.