In the Guardian interview Yar’Adua declared:  “You see, these former governors are my colleagues. We had worked together for eight years. Because I am the President, I cannot just jettison people I know, if that is what people want to use to judge whether this government is fighting corruption or not (i.e. his relationship with corrupt former governors and his treatment of Ribadu and El Rufai), then that it is unfortunate” (i.e. he doesn’t care!).

Just like McCain later realised, someone should tell Yar’adua that the appearance of his association with the corrupt former governors was wrong. It's a wrong appearance when a group of former governors, who have been indicted for corruption but was known to have contributed funds towards Yar’Adua’s electioneering campaign to appear in a meeting with the current president, because it, conveys the impression of undue and improper influence. And it was the wrong thing to do.

http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=721:president-umaru-yaradua-and-his-friends&catid=25:politics&Itemid=37