Gives condition for transfer of presidential power to Jonathan


By Emmanuel Aziken, Abuja
President Umaru Yar`Adua will have no problem transferring power to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan if his doctors determine that he is bound to a long stay in hospital, his Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters Senator Mohammed Abba Aji has declared.
Abba-Aji in an interview yesterday also pooh-poohed insinuations of an imminent end of the Yar`Adua presidency predicting that the President would soon be in sound health and be in good bounce for a second term.

He, nevertheless, called for prayers for the President from all Nigerians who he said should pray for him as if they were praying for their fathers.

The presidential adviser spoke against the background of speculations in Abuja yesterday evening that a letter of transfer of authority to Vice-President Jonathan has been directed to the National Assembly.

While denying the existence of any such letter, Abba-Aji in a telephone interview said the President would have no problem writing such a letter if and when he felt the situation of his health demanded it.

“When he assesses that he will stay long, I believe he will send the letter and it depends on his discussion with his doctors. If the doctors say that he will stay long, the Yar`Adua I know will send the letter and if it is just a few more weeks I think there will be no problem,’’ he said.

Declaring that the Yar`Adua presidency would stretch out to the end of a second term in 2015, he said:

“What most people do not know is that Yar`Adua will come back. He has done it before, when he was Governor he was away for six months and the death wishers did the same thing when he was Governor and he returned and he did not only return to continue his job as Governor, but he went on to have a second term and completed the second term successfully and went on to contest the presidency of this country and won.”

“He will definitely return. Yar`Adua is a man with many lives, he will come back, he will come and complete his first term and he will re-contest. So, read my lips, he will come back a very healthy person and he will carry on with his work, complete his tenure and he will contest for a second term.”

Asked when the President would be coming back, he said:

“He will take his time. I agree that he will not come back until his doctors consider it safe for him to do so, but once he comes back, he will come back in full force. He will bounce back and I have no doubt in my mind that he will come back.”

“Just because of his position some people are not even prepared to consider him becoming a human being. How many Nigerians have been on admission and returned to their jobs is it because they are not President?

He never said that he is a superman, Yar`Adua is an ordinary human being. He has been ill before and just as he did before, he will recover.”

sounds to me like some group of folks are testing the waters

What looks like the plot here is for Yar'adua to see vacation and allow Jonathan become acting President in the hope that Yar'adua will return someday.

This will effectively ensure that Jonathan will be a weak and ineffective leader who will continue to take orders from Yar'adua aides like Tanimu Yakum and Abba Ajji untill 2011 when one of probably Yar'adua son-in-laws will be positioned to take over.

But the question is, is it right to decieve a whole Nation to grant a vacation letter to a man who is probably not alive or who should have resigned due to health incapacitation.
Let Nigerians not fall for this con.

The only way Yar'adua should be granted a holiday is if there is proof that he is healthy and able to return to power. The Nation must not be coned.

Jonathan on his part must demand to speak to his boss in person before accepting any foolish acting President.

This is the same man accused of not handing over Yar'adua's letter to the National Assembly.

Well the President will not seek his Vacation from Abroad. I doubt our constitution permits that.

If he wants vacation he should come back home and request for one. I doubt that letter can be written by anyone else on his behalf.

This people want to con the Nation with a dead President. I thought we were one? Why are they scared of a fellow Nigerian assuming the mantle of leadership as stipulated in our constitution.

Oh sorry I forgot, Jonathan being from an oil state only qualifies for number 2.

“What most people do not know is that Yar`Adua will come back. He has done it before, when he was Governor he was away for six months and the death wishers did the same thing when he was Governor and he returned and he did not only return to continue his job as Governor, but he went on to have a second term and completed the second term successfully and went on to contest the presidency of this country and won.”

“He will definitely return. Yar`Adua is a man with many lives, he will come back, he will come and complete his first term and he will re-contest. So, read my lips, he will come back a very healthy person and he will carry on with his work, complete his tenure and he will contest for a second term.”

I take issues in the bit in bold.

Does Aba-aji honestly believe that it is fair for the President to be always away on a sick bed for 6 Months? Does he think going abroad for treatment is in Yar'adua's job description as President?

“When he assesses that he will stay long, I believe he will send the letter and it depends on his discussion with his doctors. If the doctors say that he will stay long, the Yar`Adua I know will send the letter and if it is just a few more weeks I think there will be no problem,’’ he said.

I will doubt the authenticity of any letter from Yaradua now. I doubt the man is capable of reading or signing any letter.

“What most people do not know is that Yar`Adua will come back. He has done it before, when he was Governor he was away for six months and the death wishers did the same thing when he was Governor and he returned and he did not only return to continue his job as Governor, but he went on to have a second term and completed the second term successfully and went on to contest the presidency of this country and won.”

he was right, we did not know. 6 moths sick leave? I doubt if majority of Nigerian were aware, he would have been president that easily.

Hehehehe. . . . .Someone who is not sure of completing his first time is been tipped for second time!
I laugh in heaven!!!!

Nigeria is full of shameless politicians. The idiot was even proud to say that a stupid, greedy sick man left the shores of our country previously for 6 months on medical, and may do so again.

The questions is Has YAR A'LIAR 'obtain post/office by deception' . He his required to declare that he is fit an proper person. It is a disgarce in this country in this century for the Head of Government of 150million people not to provide medical report once he has history of medical problem in the past to ascertain his fitness.

THis is clearly daylight robbery on Nigerians, and that shameless Abba-aji uttering nonsense without thinking as if he is on steroids or performance enhancing drugs.

I have seen where a dead person's name was included on the ballot, so wont be the first and sure wont be the last.

Let's wait for his demise in early 2010.

Political clowning, but with INEC all is possible.

Why does the situation I read of nigeria remind me of the book Animal Farm? Yall in a whole lotta deep sh.it,if u ask me!!!

I really do not see the point in making further commentary on this subject. Has it not occured to posters that
it is impossible to get the FEC to declare the president unfit. Doing so is to commit political and economic suicide.

How is a minister sure that Jonathan will not kick him out?
If they declare Umaru unfit and by some stroke of luck he survives, ehat happens to them?
What happens to a member of the kitchen cabinet with Umaru out of the way?
Have we not realised that people in power always want to assume divine powers?

Whatever Abba Aji is saying, just listen and ignore him. Everything is in the womb of time.You can see the stupidity
of the whole thing when their party and the legislature is completely bereft of ideas on what to do. All their positions
are threatened. They are stunned and unable to recover for now.

This is why we should continue to press them to do what is right.

We need a revolution in Nigeria