Written by Nuruddeen M. Abdallah
Sunday, 27 December 2009 00:09


Faruk Adamu Aliyu
Alhaji Faruk Adamu Aliyu is a former member of House of Representatives from Jigawa State. In this interview, the politician explained why he and others went to court requesting it to declare President Umaru Musa Yar’adua permanently incapacitated, in accordance with Section 145 of the Constitution. Excerpts:



Why did you decide to go to court, requesting it to declare the president incapacitated because he has been away from the country for over 30 days?

Well, the thing is that sometimes last year, when Mr. President travelled for 17 days, nothing happened in this country. Now, he has been away for over 30 days. But, because we do not want what happened last year to happen again that is why we went to court.

The Presidency is still maintaining that everything is moving well…

That is not true. And the reason why things are not going well is because the president has been out of the country for all this while. The Constitution has envisaged this kind of this situation. I still wonder why The Presidency, through the Federal Executive Council (FEC), has refused to invoke Section 145 of the Constitution. This situation doesn’t warrant the Minister of Information and Communications or the presidential spokesman or anybody to come out and tell us that the president is well or he is watching football. The Constitution which the president has sworn to protect and respect has made provision for this kind of situation.

So, we are only asking them to invoke the Constitution. We do not believe the half truth of The Presidency, because this is a country which is governed by people who are not sincere and who will never tell Nigerians the truth. You could see that’s why nobody believes them. So that is why we went to court. This government talks about the rule of law, okay we have gone to the court, we do not call for any mass action; we do not incite anybody.

All we have gone to the court to seek is clarification. Let me take you back to the 1999. There was a case between the PDP and Boni Haruna over the case of governorship of Adamawa state. The PDP did not want Boni Haruna to be sworn in because one, they were just governor-elect and deputy governor-elect when Atiku was given the vice presidential slot. The Supreme Court solved that logjam and Haruna was sworn-in as governor.

So we want the same Supreme Court to give interpretation of incapacitation. The president has failed to write to National Assembly on his health conditions. What we want is simply an interpretation as to whether this thing does not constitute incapacitation.

But do you think that it is within the power of the court to declare the vice president as acting president?

Well, it is, of course, within its powers. In recent times, the Supreme Court gave a ruling and Rotimi Amaechi is the governor of Rivers state now. It also gave a judgment in Anambra state and Peter Obi is the governor now. We want the same court to give interpretation on this matter. People have been speculating that the president should continue to hold on to power no matter what how long he stays abroad. It is only the court that can give genuine interpretation and clarification. That is the rule of law. Just recently, the Minister of Justice, Michael Kaase Aondoakaa came out to say that Yar’adua can rule from any part of the world for as long as he wishes. We want to know where he got his authority from. And the only person who can do that is the court. So if the court tells us that Nigeria can survive without a leader, the budget has not been signed, because he has not handed over to anybody nobody will sign it. The new Chief Justice of Nigeria cannot be sworn- in, the same with thing applies to the President of the Court of Appeal. It is evident that nobody is in-charge of this country.

As a former lawmaker, why are you not asking the National Assembly to exercise its veto power in this case?

The issue of veto power doesn’t even arise now. It can only apply if the budget is transmitted to the president but it has not even transmitted to the president. They lawmakers were not even informed that the president has not been around. Physically, the president is not around but officially, the president is around. So how can you talk about the veto?


http://www.sunday.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2381:why-we-want-yaradua-to-be-declared-incapacitated-faruk-aliyu&catid=57:cover&Itemid=126

Malam are coming to their senses.

walata44:

Malam are coming to their senses.

Mallam have senses, only that telling the truth is not in their political interest. The North has held this country to a ransom for a long time and continue to do so without the ability to provide good and effective leadership.

Without any gainsaying nothwithsatnding that the foolish OBJ imposed on Nigerians this YAR A'CLUELESS, He OBJ a SOUTHERNER has been the best President in Nigeria bar maybe Gowon and some short stint of Murtala and Idiagbon/Bhuari part regime. The problem with the others are that they ar Military so OBJ stand above them.

YAR A'DO NOTHING has been a sickler since a Governor of Kastina state, was absent for 6 months at a time there, that is a full 1/16th of his total period of Governorship, that is like full 6% absence without a substantive Governor, that is a record.

He has been seriously sick even during the campaign 'umoru are you dead' per OBJ telephone conversation at campaign rally in UYO in 2007.

Eveyday is for the thief, one day is for the owner, NIGERIANS DAY IS ONE DAY AWAY.

We never have a government or a leader but bunch of retarded constitutional hijackers. Imagine someone like LUKman as OIl minister, IDONKIA as Injsutice minster, Akinyuli as Misinformation minister. They are all on some drugs made of paper(money)

NIGERIA; GOOD PEOPLE, GREAT NATION, NON-EXISTENT GOVERNMENT