http://www.nationaldailyngr.com/cover.htm
By DANLADI BATURE

VICE President Goodluck Jonathan may emerge as the Acting President of Federal Republic of Nigeria any moment from now. This will happen if ailing President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua succumbs to the pressures being mounted on him by his doctors to take time off work from office as a result of his deteriorating health. In addition, the recent call by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) last week in Abuja on the president to let the vice president step in may have played a key role in this likely development.

National Daily dependable presidency sources disclosed that the President might have decided to consider this option to save the country from an imminent constitutional crisis.

Our sources further revealed that a high power meeting of key political bigwigs from the northern part of the country last Thursday also advised those close to the president to officially write the National Assembly that Jonathan be allowed to function as president in acting capacity so that the vacuum created by his (Yar’Adua) absence be filled so as to provide the needed legitimacy to the deliberations as well as decisions by FEC.

Specifically, it is believed that above all Mr. President has decided to accept the advice of his doctors at King Faisal Research Centre and Specialist Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to convey his wishes officially to the National Assembly for Jonathan to be acting President pending his full recovery.

“When he recovered after he was rushed to the intensive care unit for urgent medical attention, Doctors advised him to resign so that he can extricate himself from the pressures of office and have enough time to nurse his failing health. The President promised to do the right thing at the right time. He said if it became necessary for him to resign, he would like to do so when he returns to Nigeria.

Then, the doctors promised to do everything within their power to make him fit enough to return home and assume duties for sometime” an inside source said.
Yar’Adua was said to have discussed the doctors Advice with the First Lady, Hajia Turai Umaru Yar’Adua, governor of Bauchi State Isa Yuguda who was in Jeddah to see his father in-law and the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Garuba Aminci.

While Turai emphatically advised him against accepting his Doctors advice, Yuguda and Aminci were said to have wavered in their position on the issue as they rather encouraged the President to leave the issue in the hands of Allah.

But sources insisted, last week that the President like a true patriot has agreed with his Doctors that his resignation from office is both in the National and his personal interest. Our knowledgeable sources are confident that the President will soon hand over to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan who will become acting President.
Reports emerging from Saudi Arabia indicates that after 20 days in the King Faisal Research Centre and Specialist Hospital, Jedda, President Yar’Adua has lost his voice and his condition very critical.
Sources close to President Yar’Adua last confirmed that the ailing President has lost his voice and that doctors are battling to rectify this.

According to sources, the President’s lungs were infected and doctors had to operate on them.
Doctors handling Yar’Adua according to reports, have put off his return to Nigeria indefinitely after they discovered that his kidneys and pancreatic functions had diminished considerably.

A report that the functioning of Yar’Adua’s kidneys has been the lowest since he was diagnosed with Churg Strauss disease in 2007 by a medical team in Germany.

Based on the report, Yar’Adua now faces the certain prospect of prolonged hospitalization.
The grim turn in Yar’Adua’s condition was also reflected in the statement issued by the Federal Executive Council last week after its weekly meeting that it is only the doctors that can determine when he will come back.
One of the ministers was quoted as having said that: “Everybody is engaged in a guessing game. We’re in the dark about how Mr. President is doing.”

Minister of Information, Prof. Dora Akunyili, who briefed journalists after the meeting said only doctors treating President Yar’Adua can determine for sure if and when he would be able to return to Abuja.
President Yar’Adua’s current state of health, contradicts claims by some government officials that the president’s condition was indeed improving.

“I can confirm to you that Mr. President is still in the Saudi Hospital, and he is responding to treatment,” declared the nationa’s Information Minister, while responding to enquiries by journalists at the end of the FEC meeting last week in Abuja.
There are also reports that the President may be moved to the US for further treatment.
His possible movement to US was given credence by the arrival of the President’s son-in-law, Isa Yuguda, Governor of Bauchi State in New York Tuesday.

Yuguda, who is married to Nafisat, President Yar’Adua’s daughter, is believed to be in US to prepare the ground for the arrival of the President and his wife’s child birth.
There have been several calls by prominent Nigerians on President Yar’Adua to resign and take care of his health but he has not taken to this advice.

There are also those who are also calling on the vice president to take over the administration of the country in the light of the president’s illness. But lawyers argued that the vice president cannot act for the President because the President did not inform the National Assembly that he was going to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment.
Despite the FEC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and President Yar’Adua minions’ recourse to blackmail and propaganda against those who genuinely advised the President to resign from his exalted position in order to take care of his worsening health, National Daily sources said that Yuguda and Aminci have discreetly alerted influential National Assembly members, ministers and Party Stalwarts of the President’s impending resignation. It was also learned that the nation’s top security chiefs have been tactically informed. Relevant security agencies, according to sources, have been instructed to prepare the enabling environment for the enthronement of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as Yar’Adua’s successor.

“Forget all the cover up statements you have been hearing in the Electronic or print media, it is all about the design to give the ailing President a safe landing,” a competent source said.
Despite the views of physicians familiar with the condition of Nigeria's sickly leader, Umaru Yar'Adua, that he can no longer function fully, as his condition has deteriorated rapidly, his wife and members of his kitchen cabinet have tried to stop him from stepping down.

Few weeks ago, Yar'Adua's personal physician, Dr. Barau Banye, revealed that he has a heart condition, a condition said to be "Acute Pericarditis." It was diagnosed in Saudi Arabia, to where he had been evacuated to after he complained of chest pains. Subsequently, his spokespersons were quick to claim that he was "responding to treatment".

Sources said that his medical doctor and spokespersons still did not reveal the whole truth about Yar'Adua's health condition, principally because they would love for him to return to power even in his terrible shape. Also, Yar'Adua's handlers have run out of lies to explain his inability to discharge his official duties. Yar'Adua seems to be fighting the battle of his life against several organ failures in his body.

According to the authoritative United States Mayo Clinic staff literature, "Churg-Strauss can affect many organs, including your lungs, skin, gastrointestinal system, kidneys, muscles, joints and heart. Without treatment, the disease may be fatal. Complications depend on the organs involved and may include:

Peripheral nerve damage-Peripheral nerves extend throughout your body, connecting your organs, glands, muscles and skin with your brain and spinal cord. Churg-Strauss syndrome can damage peripheral nerves (peripheral neuropathy), especially those in your hands and feet, leading to numbness, burning and loss of function. In some people, this damage may be permanent.

Skin scarring. The inflammation may cause sores to develop that can leave scars.
Heart disease-Heart-related complications of Churg-Strauss syndrome include inflammation of the membrane surrounding your heart (pericarditis), inflammation of the muscular layer of your heart wall (myocarditis), heart attack and heart failure.

Kidney (renal) damage- If Churg-Strauss syndrome affects your kidneys, you may develop glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney disease that hampers your kidneys' filtering ability, leading to a buildup of waste products in your bloodstream (uremia). Although kidney failure isn't common with this disease, it can be fatal when it occurs."
This complication indicates that Yar'Adua has in place all the complication of a possibly fatal Churg-Strauss syndrome in his body as well as a rumored, recently- discovered lung cancer. The deterioration of Yar'Adua Churg -Strauss syndrome may largely be due to the fault of Dr. Banye, who mismanaged Yar'Adua's diagnosis from the onset. He reportedly treated Yar'Adua's asthma with medicines that led to serious damage to his kidney before German doctors found out his real condition was Churg -Strauss syndrome. In March 2008, Yar'Adua was advised by his German doctors to resign from office and take proper care of himself through comprehensive medical care, but he refused on the advice of his wife, Turai, who insisted that if he dies in office he won't be the first president to do so.

The hospital in Germany did not encourage his return. This is why he turned to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment and spiritual care, since he believes in marabouts as well. In fact, instead of undertaking the necessary treatments, Yar'Adua went and recruited a large retinue of marabouts to the Aso Rock Villa. That partly necessitated the famous "oath of secrecy" with which he binds all his aides so that no one would reveal his inability to function from day to day.

But the revelation of a heart condition was made possible because Yar'Adua confronted his mortality after he passed out and was unconscious for four hours in the Saudi Hospital on Tuesday night. He was thought to be dead, fueling rumours across Nigeria as he lay there that it was over.
When he was revived, he told his wife that he was tired and scared, but sources claimed that his wife waved his concerns aside.

After she and Yar'Adua talked, she left the hospital to meet the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Aminchi, who was Yar'Adua's Deputy Governor for eight years in Katsina State. In the state, he spent half of the time in hospital, but nobody noticed his absence as such.
Our sources say that at their meeting, Turai told Ambassador to speak with the local and international media that Yar'Adua was doing well, and that once all the "tests were concluded," he might actually go to Hajj with her the next day.

Turai is reportedly eager to return to Nigeria without her husband.
Turai is said to have asked Yar'Adua's media assistants to prepare a statement stating that Yar'Adua was going to visit her (Turai's father) in a hospital in Egypt and would then proceed to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage.
Yar'Adua spokesperson Segun Adeniyi, in a rare but candid parley with State House correspondents, made the startling revelation to that effect when he said that his first draft statement was going to say that Yar'Adua would go to Hajj, but that he (Yar'Adua) told him to take out the Hajj portion, since he didn't plan to do Hajj. Nigerians then got the terse statement saying that Yar'Adua would call on his doctors in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Our Saudi source said it was not until Turai left the King Faisal Hospital that Yar'Adua and his doctor summoned enough courage to release the statement admitting his heart ailment. The announcement ended the lies and deceit by an industry of spinners who invested in the massive propaganda claiming that Yar'Adua was "healthy" or "hale and hearty."

As expected, Yar'Adua's announcement has led to the re-alignment of powerful political forces in Abuja and elsewhere in Nigeria. It was learnt that prior to the tepid admittance of Yar'Adua's condition, most of the political forces had already written him off for a second term in office, leading the ruling party to issue a release last week disowning the groups campaigning for Yar'Adua's second term in office. The party whose chairman earlier declared there was “no vacancy in Aso Rock in 2011” had issued a counter statement stating that there was still vacancy in the presidency in 2011 elections and also officially disowned a phony group of clowns under the umbrella of "Yar'Adua For New Nigeria".

The much-touted good response to treatment by President Umaru Yar’Adua may have been exposed to be lies. Two major movements reportedly planned for last week were aborted because the President was said to be too weak to undertake either of them. First, there were plans to make him come back home to douse rising tension in the country over his health after which he would seize the opportunity to apply for and start a proper vacation. This was designed for him to have a breather from public scrutiny and worry while he takes care of his health. However that was not to be.

Also, his doctors were said to have planned moving him either to the United States or Germany for further treatment. That also was not to be.
Meantime, reports said doctors have advised family members of the ailing President that he can no longer be exposed to the rigours of politics as he would require a close monitoring following his slow response to treatment.
This situation has left strategists in the President’s camp in a state of fix. For now, they are said to be adopting a ‘wait and see attitude.’

Since Friday, November 23, when the President was flown to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the treatment of “Acute Pericarditis”, (an inflammatory condition of the coverings of the heart), as confirmed by his Personal Physician, Dr. Salisu Banye, there has been intensive apprehension in the country leading to a section of the populace calling on him to resign.
First on the list was the historic move by the group of 54 prominent Nigerians across professions and spanning the six geopolitical zones (G54) on November 30, asking the President to resign his office immediately or unconditionally hand over to the Vice-President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
Two days after the government took a swipe at the group, declaring that it was a joke taken too far as the President cannot resign under the present circumstance.

President of the NBA, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, who was represented by the body’s vice president, Ikeazor Akaraiwe, made the call at the valedictory session held for the outgone President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Umaru Abdullahi.
“We view the health of President Yar’Adua as a very serious one and we condemn all those who chose to play politics with all things concerning his health, NBA joins other Nigerians to pray for the speedy recovery of the President of Nigeria, and we certainly declare that his ill-health is nobody’s fault, certainly also, not the fault of the President, and we shall continue to pray for his speedy recovery.

“However, it is far more important for the President to recover and carry out his duties because the nation cannot afford to be led by the whims of the rumour industry which appears to be a cheap industry in Nigeria of today,” he said.

While calling on the President to resign as a sign of patriotism, Akaraiwe maintained that “it is the position of the NBA President that if the President is found to be incapable of discharging the functions of his office, it is a patriotic duty as an end to resign,” saying “ this will bring about glory and honour to the President of Nigeria and his past.”
But the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Mike Aondoakaa (SAN), said the statement made the NBA President is not the position of the NBA as there was never a time the National Executive Committee (NEC) of NBA met to decide on the issue.

“The speech by the NBA President as regards Mr. President’s health is not the position of the bar.
The government is not bothered about the speech because we guarantee freedom of expression. I’m a member of the NBA and NEC, the statement attributed to NBA cannot be, because at no time did the NBA meet at NEC level to take a decision to warrant the statement made by the NBA. That statement in the correct perspective is a statement which is a personal opinion of the President of NBA, Mr. Akeredolu.”

Aondoakaa said the “position of government and the Federal Executive Council which gives the body vested by the constitution in section 144 that will commence the process is clear: that the President has been capable in carrying out his duties, and we have made it clear that the constitution did not make the provision that somebody should be a super human to be the president.

“There has been a precedence where a certain President was hospitalised for two months plus, President Babangida went for treatment in Paris and nothing happened,” he said.
We should not allow somebody’s ill-health to become a problem.”
He also accused some politicians of rumour mongering as a ploy ahead of 2011 elections. “People are trying to heat up this issue of ill-health in preparatory to 2011, the Federal Executive Council has taken its position, that is the only body vested with responsibility of starting the process of removing the President or the Vice President,” he said.
On the current health situation of the President, the AG said “the President’s health status has always been given by the president’s physician through his chief spokesman, Mr Segun Adeniyi, and you will continue to hear from him. That is why government took a decision based on facts that there is no basis, the fact available is, he is responding to treatment.

Political Analysts like Kayode Ajulo frowns at the continued delay in proclaiming Goodluck Jonathan Acting President.
In the past 20 days the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria has been on admission at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where, according to his personal physician, he is being treated for acute pericarditis, an inflation of the outer membrane of the heart.

This singular fact has established the verity that the President is not in Nigeria to perform his functions and has not been in attendance of the (3) three consecutive meetings of Federal Executive Council, where far reaching decisions and approvals were made.

The purpose of this observation is to point out that these recent approvals and decisions of the FEC without the presence of either the President or a duly appointed Acting President definitely ultra vires the provisions of our law and in particular the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and are therefore null and void.
Among the recent decisions and approvals made during these unconstitutionally constituted Federal Executive Council meetings are;
1. Approval of an International Development Association policy credit of $500m for the financial sector and public finance management, a credit facility extended to Nigeria under the World Bank Budget Support facility for bridging the shortfall in the 2009 budget.

2. The award of a contract for the supply of one unit of 1G7 generator assembly and spares for Kainji Hydroelectric Power PLC at a cost of €4.352m and N56.1m in favour of Messrs Alstom Hydro of France.
3. The award of contract for the integrity assessment and rehabilitation of the Oben-Sapele Gas pipeline; and the upgrade/expansion of existing gas metering facilities at the Sapele Power Station in favour of Messrs Kaztec Engineering Limited at a cost of $26.4m, plus N1.1bn.

4. The award of a contract for the procurement of three units of rail road inspection vehicles with spare parts in favour of Messrs Gramet Nig. Limited in the sum of N247.2m.
5. A contract for the appointment of a prime consultant for the dredging of lower River Niger from Warri, Delta State to Baro, Niger State approved in favour of Messrs Royal Haskoning Engineering Consultant Nigeria Limited in the sum of N402.3m.

6. A contract for the rehabilitation of the Onitsha River Port Complex approved in favour of Inter Bau Construction Limited in the sum of N4.1bn.
There is no gainsaying the fact to state that the President is the head of executive service of the Federation as the provision of Section 5 of 1999 Constitution vests in the President “the executive power of the Federation” akin to what Article II Section I (1) of the United States Constitution vests in the President of the United States.
In discharging this enormous function, according to the provision of Section 148 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, the President has discretion to exercise his constitutional powers either directly or through the Vice-President and the Ministers appointed by the President or the officers in Nigerian public service.

In furtherance of the discharge of the Presidential duties and functions, the Executive Council, known as Federal Executive Council as described in Section 144 (5) is established by the President and charged with such responsibilities for the functions of government.
To underscore the importance of the physical presence of the President in the Federal Executive Council, Section 148 (2) of our Constitution makes it MANDATORY for the President to be at the Federal Executive Meetings as Section 148 (2) states thus:

“(2) The President shall hold regular meetings with the Vice-President and all the Ministers of the Government of the Federation for the purposes of -
(a) determining the general direction of domestic and native policies of the Government of the Federation;
(b) co-ordinating the activities of the President, the Vice-President and the Ministers of the Government of the Federation in the discharge of their executive responsibilities; and
(c) advising the President generally in discharge of his executive functions other than those functions with respect to which he is required by this Constitution to seek the advice or act on the recommendation of any other person or body.

From the above provision it is apparently understandable that the Constitution forbids any meeting of the Federal Executive Council without the attendance of the President SAVE for the meeting to deliberate on the incapability of the President to discharge his function as provided by the provision of Section 144 of the Constitution.
The Section 144 of the Constitution states thus;
“144. (1) The President or Vice-President shall cease to hold office, if -
(a) by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of all the members of the executive council of the Federation it is declared that the President or Vice-President is incapable of discharging the functions of his office; and
(b) the declaration is verified, after such medical examination as may be necessary, by a medical panel established under subsection (4) of this section in its report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(2) Where the medical panel certifies in the report that in its opinion the President or Vice-President is suffering from such infirmity of body or mind as renders him permanently incapable of discharging the functions of his office, a notice thereof signed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Government of the Federation.

(3) The President or Vice-President shall cease to hold office as from the date of publication of the notice of the medical report pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.

(4) the medical panel to which this section relates shall be appointed by the President of the Senate, and shall comprise five medical practitioners in Nigeria:-
(a) one of whom shall be the personal physician of the holder of the office concerned; and
(b) four other medical practitioners who have, in the opinion of the President of the Senate, attained a high degree of eminence in the field of medicine relative to the nature of the examination to be conducted in accordance with the foregoing provisions.

(5) In this section, the reference to "executive council of the Federation" is a reference to the body of Ministers of the Government of the Federation, howsoever called, established by the President and charged with such responsibilities for the functions of government as the President may direct.”
It is also glaring that our Constitution forbids the meeting of the Federal Executive Council without the attendance of the President under any circumstances as the same Constitution in Section 145 envisages a situation where the President may temporarily be unable to perform his function by providing for a position of an Acting President, who will in effect be able to undertake all the functions of the President as provided by the Constitution.
The Section 145 provides that:
“Whenever the President transmits to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary such functions shall be discharged by the Vice-President as Acting President.”

Although the Vice-President is a creation of the Constitution, he cannot become Acting-President except upon the activation of the above Constitutional provision and to this extent, cannot presides over the meeting of the Federal Executive Council as many uninformed very senior officials of this current administrations ignorantly want the incumbent Vice President to do.
Whereas, the Vice-President has no constitutional duty assigned to him under our Constitution save the duties as delegated to his office by the President; this lacuna in our Constitution makes the Vice-President and the Ministers appointed by the President over-valued errand boys of the office of the President.

The Vice-President however can only act as President upon the activation of instrumentality and the process of Section 145 of the Constitution, which to the effect that the Vice-President can only act as acting-President when the President declares in writing, duly transmitted to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives that he is proceeding on vacation or otherwise is unable to discharge the functions of his office.
It is a notorious fact that in going to attend to his ailing health, and as confirmed by the President’s Legislative aide, the President did not transfer his power as provided by the provisions of the Constitution and as such the President did not comply with the Constitutional provisions of enabling the Vice-President to act in his stead as well as chair the Federal Executive Council.

Consequently, the (3) three consecutive meetings of the Federal Executive Council and all the resolutions, decisions and approval made or passed thereof are in contravention of our constitution and it’s therefore illegal and void SAVE for any resolution in accordance with section 144 of the Constitution.

There were strong indications on Friday that the Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, may be under intense pressure from some of the country‘s power brokers to resign. Those behind the move, sources say, want to ensure that the delicate power sharing arrangement between the North and the South, which some military chiefs and politicians agreed upon in 1998, is preserved. Under the zoning arrangement agreed upon by the politicians of the ruling PDP, power is expected to rotate between the two regions at the end of two presidential terms.

Investigations revealed that the pressure, which started when the President made his first medical trip abroad in 2007, increased after it became clear that the reports on the President’s condition were not positive.
The plan of those mounting pressure on the VP, it was learnt, is to create a situation where he would resign for the Senate President, David Mark, to take over for three months and then organise elections, in the event that the President is unable to complete his term.

But a source who spoke to our correspondent on the basis of confidentiality said those who were mounting pressure on the Vice President to resign wanted to ensure that there was no loose ends. Specifically, he said that Jonathan was under pressure to sign an undated resignation letter so that once he tries to be his own man, such a letter would be forwarded to the National Assembly.

“They are saying that it is the only way to preserve the peace and unity of the country. The North would not accept a Southern President so soon after former President Olusegun Obasanjo and that the powerful elements in the region believe that the former President set up the North. They believe that Obasanjo knew that Yar‘Adua was too ill to complete his term, so he foisted him on the region so that power would return to the South.”
Reports alleged that a certain mafia group was mounting pressure on the VP to resign to prevent him from succeeding Yar'Adua, but the Office of Vice-President has already denied the claim.

It had been alleged that in order to retain power in the North, Jonathan had been forced to sign an undated resignation letter which would be activated in the event that the position of president becomes vacant.
It was further alleged that the Senate President would then act as president pending the conduct of a fresh election within the three months stipulated in the constitution - and a Northerner would be expected to emerge as next president.

But in a reported interview, the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Prof. Ahmed Alkali, described the allegation as the handiwork of rumour mongers who have nothing to contribute towards the growth of Nigeria.
Also, the umbrella body of militants in the Niger Delta, the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), has warned Jonathan against succumbing to pressure and resigning his office as such "would break the country".
Action Congress National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the party was deeply concerned by media reports that unnamed forces were putting pressure on Jonathan to resign, so he would not assume the presidency as stipulated by the Constitution, in case his boss is unable to complete his tenure.

"Despite the rush to deny the veracity of the story by the office of the Vice-President, we know there is no smoke without fire and we are concerned that some dark forces can be plotting to thwart the Constitution for whatever reasons.

An umbrella body of militants have threatened that forcing the VP to resign would make the Ijaw people of the Niger Delta resort to actions that may usher in anarchy and possible secession from Nigeria.
According to a statement by its spokesperson, Cynthia Whyte, the resignation of Jonathan owing to pressure from what it termed "Northern oligarchy" would reduce Ijaw presence in the centre and, subsequently, their progressive engagement with the Nigerian state.

The council, which comprises the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the Reformed Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force and the Martyrs Brigade, said any attempt to undermine the ability and capability of Jonathan to continue in service with Yar'Adua would be resisted.
"On behalf of the Joint Revolutionary Council comprising the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the Reformed Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force and The Martyrs Brigade, we wish to warn the Vice President of the Nigerian state Sir Goodluck Jonathan from resigning from the position of Vice President in response to purported pressures being mounted on him by Northern cabals.

"The resignation of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan may lead to grave anarchy and possible secession of the Ijaw and Niger Delta territory from the Nigerian state.
"We wish to remind all men of goodwill that our decision to increase progressive engagement with the Nigerian state is much strengthened by the sincere involvement of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.
"We therefore condemn any attempt to undermine him or question his ability and capacity for service to his President Yar'Adua.

"For too long, dubious northern cabals have continued to exploit the ignorance of Southern politics to sow divisions and create anarchy. That time is over," JRC said.
Forget the grandstanding by the ruling People’s Democratic Party that the ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua is still fit to rule Nigeria and that he is recuperating. A foreign newspaper with close sources to the corridors of power said today that the PDP has only put forth a façade over the intrigues going on in Abuja as doubts mount over the health of the President. What is happening, the Financial Times wrote this morning, is that “scheming politicians” are preparing “for the possibility that he may be too sick to remain in office.”

Yar’Adua was rushed to hospital in Saudi Arabia 18 days ago with a heart condition, but he is also suffering from a chronic kidney problem that has dogged him since he assumed office in 2007. Doctors also said he has problems with his lungs. On Wednesday, the information minister, Dora Akunyili, said the president was responding to treatment but only his doctors knew when he would return. Publicly, senior officials from the ruling People’s Democratic party have dismissed calls for Mr. Yar’Adua to stand down and for Goodluck Jonathan, the vice-president, to take over, calling instead on the nation to pray for the president’s speedy recovery.
But according to the Financial Times, “rival factions within the PDP are already maneuvering for ascendancy. A series of meetings involving leading party figures and state governors - as well as disaffected exiles - have taken place in London, Dubai and within Nigeria in recent days.

“Everyone in Abuja is putting up a facade while behind the scenes they are preparing for what happens post-Yar’Adua,” a former senior official and PDP member said.
“The prospect of a divisive succession struggle within the ruling party 18 months before elections are due has also galvanised opposition groups, who spot an opportunity to break the PDP’s decade-long hold on power.
“Mr. Yar’Adua, who hails from an establishment family in the predominately Muslim north, has struggled to meet pledges to repair Nigeria ‘s broken infrastructure. It is only in recent months that his tenure has showed signs of building momentum, with a shake-up of the banking system and an amnesty luring thousands of militants in the oil-producing and turbulent Niger delta to surrender their weapons.

“Some business leaders say policy making in Abuja has now been largely diverted by political horse-trading.
“Bismarck Rewane, head of Financial Derivatives, a Lagos-based consultancy, warned that the current uncertainty would deter investment at a time when resources are urgently needed to spur economic recovery. “We need this problem about as much as we need a hole in the head,” he said.

As if to confirm our story, National Daily Intelligence gathered at the weekend that there are irrefutable indications, that the jostling for the vice-presidency is already apace with former President Olusegun Obasanjo canvassing support for Alhaji Sule Lamido who is the Governor of Jigawa State.
Indeed, Lamido is rated the frontrunner in the race.
Other candidates in the race are Yar’Adua’s in-law and governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda and his Kwara State counterpart, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

It is a crowded field as big power brokers in the North are also being linked to the position. Among them are former Minister of Finance, Malam Adamu Ciroma, former national Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, and Ambassador Adamu Aliyu, a former Group Managing Director of Northern Nigeria Development Corporation, who also was an ambassador to Japan — widely regarded as a “man of integrity and an achiever.”
The leadership struggle is heightening in the wake of the confusing and unconvincing developments emanating from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where President Yar’Adua is undergoing treatment for a recidivist heart ailment.
Obasanjo’s move was based on negative developments on President Yar’Adua’s health condition and which might not enable him to continue with his official assignment as president of Nigeria sooner or later.
According to reports the power vacuum created in the Presidency by the failure of ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua to delegate power to the Vice-President, Goodluck Jonathan, is beginning to take a toll on the country, with no one to sign the 2009 Supplementary Budget into law. Reports said that Jonathan declined to assent to the supplementary budget bill passed by the National Assembly early last week.

A source close to the Federal Executive Council said that Jonathan's decision was based on his belief that budget-signing was an exclusive duty of the President, which he could not undertake because he had not been made the Acting President in line with Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Although it was gathered that before he left for Saudi Arabia for medical treatment at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah, President Yar'Adua instructed that all files that needed his attention should be forwarded to the Vice-President, Jonathan was unwilling to take any decision that could raise constitutional problems.
Jonathan would not sign the supplementary budget or other sensitive decisions requiring the President's approval.
It was also for the same reason that the Vice-President withheld approval of the list of the 2009 National Awards presented to him by the Governing Board of the Nigerian National Merit Awards at a meeting on December 1, 2009.

There is no way the Vice-President would sign the supplementary budget. It is a presidential function, and he (Jonathan) is keen to avoid issues that would raise constitutional problems.
I can assure that, if he signs it, there will be reactions. People will go to court and make noise all over the place. In the end, the supplementary budget will not be implemented because of the issues that will be raised.
The Constitution spelt out certain functions that could be performed by the President and the Vice-President, and others that could be delegated. This (signing of the budget) is an exclusive function of the President. There is no way he would sign it.

While the signing of the supplementary budget is mirred in confusion, there was also uncertainty concerning its whereabouts. According to reports the supplementary budget was still with the National Assembly several days after it was passed by the lawmakers. It was also gathered that the fact that the Vice-President was not in a position to sign it, informed its delay at the National Assembly.
Similarly, a scheduled meeting of the National Council of State, the highest advisory body in the country, was postponed indefinitely because Jonathan could not chair it. The Council was supposed to meet in the last week of November, but the meeting was postponed after its members were told to ignore the invitations earlier extended to them.

The National Council of State comprises the President, former presidents/heads of state, state governors, and past and serving chief justices of Nigeria. The postponed meeting was supposed to consider and approve membership of some key Federal Government commissions. It was also expected to approve the application made by some foreigners to become Nigerian citizens.

There have been fears that the machinery of governance could grind to a halt in the absence of President Yar'Adua, an insinuation the government has spiritedly refuted. In rejecting calls on the Federal Executive Council to invoke the provisions of Section 144 in order to pave the way for Yar'Adua's resignation on the grounds of ill-health, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, had maintained that Jonathan was in charge.
He, however, noted that on matters requiring the President's express approval, contacts were being made with Saudi Arabia and such approvals did come. At a news conference after a FEC meeting on December 2, 2009, Ahmed had said, I want to assure Nigerians that this government is indeed working and is in good shape. Every other aspect of governmental activity is being conducted well, and the Vice-President, as usual, is in charge. On issues that would require Mr. President's express approval, contacts are being made and such approvals do come.
But the SGF's explanations have not been able to put to rest calls for the Vice-President to officially assume the position of Acting President, a situation that would enable him to perform all the constitutional duties of the President. In Yar'Adua's absence, Jonathan had represented the President at a number of events, including presiding over the weekly FEC meetings. The FEC, chaired by Jonathan, had on Wednesday ratified the President's anticipatory approval for an International Development Association budget support credit of $500m. It is universally agreed that there is something in a name.
Goodluck to Vice President Jonathan Goodluck.

who u think say go read all this speculative journalistic jargon?

His first executive decision should be to ease Aondoakaa from office for his poor legal advice to the Nation.

He wont even need Senate confirmation to replace him as Odien Ajumogbia (SAN) can replace him as Attorney General.

Jonthan should also make sure he is in charge even if he has to run the country for 2 days.

Reduce Yar'adua's 7 point agenda to 2. (Power and Electoral reform using the Uwais report). Focus on just those 2 in the remaining months.

Other sensible appointments.

Yayale Ahmed for Vice President

Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai can replace odein Ajumogbia as Energy Minister in other to drive home and fastrack the power generation project.

General Abdulahi Muhamed to replace Genereal Sariki Mukhtar as NSA (the later engaged all soughts of childish activities under the Yar'adua regime)
General Andrew Owoye Azazi could also be tapped NSA if he is interested.

Donald Duke to replace Adamu Aliero as FCT Minister.

Dr Mansur Mukhtar the Finance Minister to lead a newly reconstituted economic team.

Tanimu Yakubu the economic adviser to Yar'adua should also be relieved of his duty.

@poster , pls next time don't waste our valuable time again cut to the chase.

Who has time to read all these.Bullsh*t

I red it and I think most people will

the point is not about reading the damn article but its just full of heresay and gestures like our source in saudi arabia, how do we know the authenticity of that source ? it could be a cat or the hospital janitor? another is that the write up is not new from what we've been reading on the presi health.

ARE YOUR NIGERIAN SOURCES BETTER THAN THE SO CALLED SAUDI SOURCE. DO YOU HAVE A BETTER INFO THAN THIS SO CALLED INSINUATIONS?

WHEN IT COMES TO THE YAR'ADUA ISSUE, BELIEVE ME THIS KIND OS STORIES ARE MORE RELIABLE THAN WHAT GOV OFFICIALS OR THE PDP WILL TELL YOU.

COME TO THINK OF IT, JONATHAN AS PRESIDENT, THAT WILL CHANGE A LOT OF THINGS POSITIVELY.

If this is true, then the following could happen:

Jonathan cld be killed
Jonathan cld be forced to resign
Coup de tat cld happen sooner than later.

Eyes are watching.

this is preaty much, I just pray that one day God will save nigerian from all these mess

Cant believe anything until it happens. Fingers crossed.

That man Yaradua is just wasting our time. He should have handed over power to VP. Ths is not do or die thing i beg.

Days of Nigeria are numbered,

^and with it your days

are you afraid

Goodluck can be really good luck if Yar'adua finally resigns.

I hope the northerns won't try anything funny on him

Lets watch and see if our sick president will love his life more than power.

While Turai emphatically advised him against accepting his Doctors advice, Yuguda and Aminci were said to have wavered in their position on the issue as they rather encouraged the President to leave the issue in the hands of Allah.

Is very cleared now to all Nigerians that His wife Turai must be mad or have some hidden agenda that makes her want yarasick dead.

But this article long sha, sincerely i could not finish it.

[center]Well the issue is not somthing to debate on, The Vice President of Nigeria Mr Goodluck will never assume the leardership of this country. The North is the heart of this country and with the way at which things are going if the President should DIE which would not happen @ this present regime, the north would be united once more and replace the on the seat a better person than Mr Goodluck.
However i am not an antagonist of Mr Goodluck but am just saying this from the maxist point of view.
Being very rational and objective is my aim of joining the Nairaland.[center][/center]

pacodas:

Goodluck can be really good luck if Yar'adua finally resigns.

I hope the northerns won't try anything funny on him

Anyting like what? They cannot do him any harm.

Isa4ril:

[center]Well the issue is not somthing to debate on, The Vice President of Nigeria Mr Goodluck will never assume the leardership of this country. The North is the heart of this country and with the way at which things are going if the President should DIE which would not happen @ this present regime, the north would be united once more and replace the on the seat a better person than Mr Goodluck.
However i am not an antagonist of Mr Goodluck but am just saying this from the maxist point of view.
Being very rational and objective is my aim of joining the Nairaland.[center][/center]

From your post, you are really an aboki. Its only abokis that will always reason this way. The constitution is always clear on what we are going through now. The Northerners are really dragging Nigeria back on everything. We need to have an active president who can move us forward and you are saying the North is the heart. Not only the hearth, they the kidney.

Isa4ril:

[center]Well the issue is not somthing to debate on, The Vice President of Nigeria Mr Goodluck will never assume the leardership of this country. The North is the heart of this country and with the way at which things are going if the President should DIE which would not happen @ this present regime, the north would be united once more and replace the on the seat a better person than Mr Goodluck.
However i am not an antagonist of Mr Goodluck but am just saying this from the maxist point of view.
Being very rational and objective is my aim of joining the Nairaland.[center][/center]

Lets wait and see

pacodas:

Goodluck can be really good luck if Yar'adua finally resigns.

I hope the northerns won't try anything funny on him

I believed they knew the aftermath.
The Days of Nigeria are Numbered

I really do not see any reason to worry about any succession . The constitutional provisions are there.
Just follow them.

everybody know that this man is not feeling fine,y can he just drop this key and let another person takes over,or he want to rule nigeria in heaven or hell.

A future dramatic display!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!watch out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let Nigeria Split Into North and South!! Hausa Man Should Go Their Way,We Southerners Go Our Own Way Period!!! In 10 Years Time, The South Will Be Equal To South Africa. After Over 38 Years Of Northern Rule, Nigeria Has Nothing To Show For It. Hausa Men Have Messed This Country Up. Dem Go Dey Claim Righteousness all In The Name of Islam but na dem corrupt and power hungry pass. The North is willing to bypass the constitution when it clearly states that if the president is incapicated, the vice-president should take over. You na think say we southerners be mugu abi? Your days are numbered

Mavor:

Let Nigeria Split Into North and South!! Hausa Man Should Go Their Way,We Southerners Go Our Own Way Periof!!!

Your suggestion is good,
But after the dissolution of Nigeria, i will never advice my people to share the same Country with Yorubas, we are tired of Saboteurs.

The Yorubas are very educated but they are very arrogant and tribalistic. I like them sha cos when you work with them, you develop intellectually, plus they make very good friends.

Mavor:

The Yorubas are very educated but they are very arrogant and tribalistic.

That's Why you have to be careful.

Mavor:

I like them sha cos when you work with them, you develop intellectually, plus they make very good friends.

Exactly what our Grandfathers thought of them, but be careful Chamaeleon Changes Colour

I read the whole write up.The prediction by US that Nigeria may disintergrate by 2015 is true afterall!It is either Goodluck Jonathan be made the Acting President,according to our cinstitution,or nothing else!If Niger Delta breaks away,definetly Biafran will equally sing a victory song.The Yorubas of course,will follow suit.But how do we share Abuja,the FCT?From onset,it was clear that Turai was a Jezebel in the making.All along,the trust of Yar'Adua's govt was shaped by her behind the scene.Northern cabals should do the right time or else,we go our separate ways.If eventually Goodluck is made the Acting President,let him fire the AGF,Aondoaka within 24 hrs!

Why in the world will i read all that?
@Poster, that was junk

Muneer you Hausa men should go to school and develop your land. Whether you call it junk or not. Truth is reality

@poster,
pls try as much as u can to be brief when ever u are posting topics here. u have only done a copy and paste work here and u are now acting like yar adua by wasting our time.

From your post, you are really an aboki. Its only abokis that will always reason this way. The constitution is always clear on what we are going through now. The Northerners are really dragging Nigeria back on everything. We need to have an active president who can move us forward and you are saying the North is the heart. Not only the hearth, they the kidney.

@yemmight,
he may be an aboki like u said but am not one yet i reason like him.
if i may ask, which constitution are u talking about? is it the nigerian constitution, pdp constitution or that same constitution that brought yar adua to power?
u must always remember that the most pwoerful constitution in nigeria today is that constitution that annointed yar adua against everyother nigerian and imposed him on u and i and as we discuss here, that constitution is still working to take a new decission on the situation of the president and the country.