wirinet:

No body prefers a dead Yaradua to a Jonathan. What people like me is advocating for is obedience to the Laws with which we have agreed to live under. The difference between a civilized society and a unstable one is obedience to the laws, no matter if you agree with it or not.

The Jews held their Torah  which was the Law that regulated their society sacred, and it helped then organize their society for thousands of years.

Also most western Nations hold their laws sacred and every citizen is held accountable to those laws. Here Laws are treated with disdain and the Laws are interpreted according to Tribal, religious, ethnic, class or even personal interests. Such societies cannot survive.

The Nigerian constitution is almost a carbon copy of the American constitution, especially the sections dealing with succession, so why had the type of problem we are having never occurred in the US.
If the US president should disappear for one week without informing anybody, he would be impeached immediately.    

wirinet:

No body prefers a dead Yaradua to a Jonathan. What people like me is advocating for is obedience to the Laws with which we have agreed to live under. The difference between a civilized society and a unstable one is obedience to the laws, no matter if you agree with it or not.

The Jews held their Torah  which was the Law that regulated their society sacred, and it helped then organize their society for thousands of years.

Also most western Nations hold their laws sacred and every citizen is held accountable to those laws. Here Laws are treated with disdain and the Laws are interpreted according to Tribal, religious, ethnic, class or even personal interests. Such societies cannot survive.

The Nigerian constitution is almost a carbon copy of the American constitution, especially the sections dealing with succession, so why had the type of problem we are having never occurred in the US.
If the US president should disappear for one week without informing anybody, he would be impeached immediately.    

wirinet:

Thank you my brother, my people are ever ready to accept pandol in place of Panadol. Declaring Jonathan acting president (unconstitutionally), means we still have a president (and a first lady), even though Yaradua did not tell us he is on holidays - he is simply AWOL.

mikeansy:

When Yar'adua was looting the country why did you not call for free and fair elections? we don't have that luxury right now. The elections will be in 2011. You can vote whoever then.

ndu_chucks:

I'm afraid that Jonathan may find himself in a trap. If the AG decides to challenge this senate resolution in court, I'm afraid the AG will have a very strong case and the backing of the constitution. You don't address an illegality with another illegality.

The senate has the constitutional power to impeachment the president, they should start that proceeding immediately to checkmate any funny business from the AG. The senate resolution is legally worthless, useless, irresponsible, and shameful.

I suspect that as soon as an impeachment process is started, we'll see a letter to the senate from Yar'Adua promptly. Jonathan should refuse to be sworn in on the basis of this useless resolution.

vigasimple:

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Even though I am Lawyer, I always prefer someone with commonsense, all the above has said is common sense as to the proper interpretation of the Law. Most of the confusion is started by Yar A'liar aided and abetted by AGF idonkia.

It is shocking, if in the 21st century we are still unable to do simple thing rightly, and we then yarn our mouth as giant of Africa. This are the occasion one is truely ashamed to be a Nigerian.

Region/tribal/religion or not, the NORTH are the problem of this nation. They were doing this simply to hold on to power they have never managed anything well in this country.

FEC can declare the President unfit ( and should have), and VP sworn in as President. VP is already acting as President according to the law but he was not being obeyed as such.

NASS should simply impeach a President for gross misconduct for not obeying the constitution he swore to defend and who has not make provision for emergency knowing fully well his health situation to hand over to his vP until he gets well.

The courts should have invoked S.145 to say that the President in absence of his letter of vacation/medical has vacated his office. He was qouted to have spoken to the BBC Hausa world service but cannot write to inform NASS of his medical vacation and when he si likely to come back. It is called contempt.

After 3,7 or max 14 days when there is no formal letter from Yar A'dua, it should have been taken to abdicate his position, end of the story. The nation need CIC and security

VOTE OUT PDP 2011 AND VOTE ANY PARTY YOU LIKE. SEND A MESSAGE THAT THE POWER BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE.

PapaBrowne:

Jonathan should test the new powers given to him by sacking the AGF. Such a move would definitely put the powers bestowed on him by the senate to the test.

wirinet:

I used to have the impression that the North was the problem of Nigeria, but somehow this Yaradua episode has made me have a rethink. I think the problem is more complex than we see. I think it is a combination of historical, cultural, religious and social problems. Why have you not asked, that apart form a very few Nigerian elites like Barrister Femi Falana, and the leadership of NBA and very few religious leaders. All other leaders have kept mute or at best spoken from two sides of their mouth. Even though the PDP controls most of our political spaces, there are a few other political parties in our political space. How come they have all lost their voices. Even the media had been rather tame. Except the mild dissent raised by Dora, no other government official had raised the issue since Yaradua's absence. The North cannot be the only set of people that is comfortable with the way things are, the south-south, west and east had not shown any opposition to the current arrangement. Except we are saying that everybody is afraid of the North.

I think it boils down to the culture of our elites selling their people out to the highest bidders, the Obas and chiefs sold their own people to slavery for monetary gains, they sold their people to the British during commercialization, they sold out to the Military, they sold out to OBJ (remember, most of the power brokers today were rabid supporters of third term - including Yaradua), they are selling out to Yaradua today and would be ready to sell out to the highest bidder tomorrow.

Remii:

Maybe lawyers in the house can help me out on this, "Acting President" to me is like, delegation of authority in companies, he should have limitations, I dont think power to expressely hire and fire is included.

ndu_chucks:

Acting Presidency also comes with executive powers including firing and hiring. The only issue is that the president can come back and reclaim his office. This is why I believe the senate should start an impeachment proceeding immediately. If Yar'Adua is impeached, then Jonathan will not be an acting president, but a President.

calyx:

I disagree with you on impeachment. I dont think Yaradua as much as i hate him as president deserve to be impeached. It could actually be that he was carried off in an unconscious state. Do you really believe that a conscious Yaradua, with all of these issues will keep quiet?

The senate just played a smart one i think. Since you guys said that was Yaradua on BBC, then we can use that info in place of the letter. Anytime (thats if ever) he comes and is fit to resume, then he writes another letter to that effect before he can reclaim his position. I think this sufficiently takes care of the logjam. Its same thing as the president sending the letter though in this case, the NASS went to the internet to print the letter themselves!!!!!!

ndu_chucks:

 The common enemy is the elite who come from North, South, West, East, and Middlebelt

ndu_chucks:

I'm afraid that Jonathan may find himself in a trap. If the AG decides to challenge this senate resolution in court, I'm afraid the AG will have a very strong case and the backing of the constitution. You don't address an illegality with another illegality.

The senate has the constitutional power to impeachment the president, they should start that proceeding immediately to checkmate any funny business from the AG. The senate resolution is legally worthless, useless, irresponsible, and shameful.

I suspect that as soon as an impeachment process is started, we'll see a letter to the senate from Yar'Adua promptly. Jonathan should refuse to be sworn in on the basis of this useless resolution.

wirinet:

I also disagree with you on impeachment. I for one do not dislike Yaradua, but be question goes beyond whether you like him or not, he deserved to be impeached because he had abdicated his post for over 3months without officially informing Nigerians. The position of president is not like that of a Monarch that is unquestionable or absolute. A president is an employee, with specific duties and tenure.

The excuse that he was carried out in an unconscious state is an after thought, how come we were not told that soon after he left and was told almost 3 months later. Also did you hear that from his doctors ?. If he was carried out unconscious how come he did not inform the senate after he became conscious and chose only to sign appropriation bill and grant interview to BBC.

Yaradua cannot write another letter, when he did not write any in the first place.

Dede1:


What impeachable offence has Yar adua committed? The Nigerian constitution that dealt with succession did not declare that the president should be impeached if the President fails to transmit a letter of absence to Senate President and Speaker of the House. The senate has no power to jump start impeachment procedures without culpable of offence committed by the President.

Dede1:


What impeachable offence has Yar adua committed?  The Nigerian constitution that dealt with succession did not declare that the president should be impeached if the President fails to transmit a letter of absence to Senate President and Speaker of the House. The senate has no power to jump start impeachment procedures without culpable of offence committed by the President.

calyx:

Its actually very complicated. Now lets assume that Yaradua was actually flown out of the country unconscious and then all the hoopla about BBC interview and signing appropriation bill + other lies/ silence are all orchestrated gimmicks by Yaraduas kitchen cabinets to keep Nigerians in the dark of the real situation and buy time, would you still think its very fair to impeach the president? assuming also that he may actually have taken the opposite course if he was in a state of consciousness.

By preparing to swear Jonathan as an acting President instead of an Executive President,  might be a sort of check by the Senate on Jonathan Goodluck, the word acting simply means the status quo should remain the same, hiring and firing would be done with some consultation with the Senate. Goodluck would be a checked and a lame duck president,  just their to steady the ship for the next 18 months.

My strong feelings are the Senates knows the true state of Yaradua's health, but I doubt if the VP knows. The VP would always look behind his back b4 making any decision with regards to Hiring and Firing. The Senate would remind Goodluck that if he fires anybody without thinking it through, that decsion might be rescinded if the President resumes his post.

If Jonathan has a sense of the world around him, he must do a few things in other to be in control. He must make sure he is not a lame duck President even though he has to run the country for only 18 Months then so be it.

1. Replace AGF Aondoaka with Odein Ajumogbia SAN quickly (Aondoakaa has misdirected the Nation enough)

2. Replace NSA Sarki Mukhtar with Gen. Muhamed Abdulahi (Former Chief of Staff to Presidency) or Gen Andrew Owoye Azazi (former Defence Chief, thats if he is interested). Sarki Mukhtar has been busy with unholy activities lately.

3. Ojo Maduekwe to be replaced by Donald Duke

4. Bring El-Rufai into the cabinet if you can probably as Energy Minister to drive home the IPP project.

5. FCT Minister Adamu Aliero should also be shown the way and probably replaced with someone like Adamu Muazu

6. Abba Ruma can remain as Agricultural Minister but he must be badly relegated in the scheme of things.

Yayale Ahmed for VP