Jonathan comes under pressure to resign

By Our Correspondent, Published: Saturday, 28 Nov 2009
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Dr. Goodluck Jonathan

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 Peoples Democratic Party, power is expected to rotate between the two regions at the end of two presidential terms.

Saturday Punch investigations on Friday revealed that the pressure, which started when the President made his first medical trip abroad in 2007, increased this week after the President departed for Saudi Arabia for another round of treatment.

The plan of those pressurising the VP, Saturday Punch 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.

However, at about the time that Saturday Punch completed its investigations on Friday, the Presidency issued a statement saying that Nigeria‘s president will not resign despite currently undergoing treatment in Saudi Arabia.

The Cable News Network quoted a presidential press statement as saying that, ”President Umaru Musa Yar‘Adua and the vice president will continue in their respective roles and the latter will not assume presidential duties.”

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 the VP were under pressure to sign an undated resignation letter.

”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.”

The undated resignation letter, which can become binding in the event of the President being unable to continue in office, has thrown the Vice President into a serious dilemma.

Saturday Punch made efforts on Friday to get the Vice President‘s reaction to the development, but he was unreachable. His spokesperson, Ima Niboro, was also unavailable. Calls made to his telephones were not picked, and he did not respond to the text messages that our reporter sent.

But a reliable source who is close to the Vice President and who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said Jonathan was fine and he was not under any pressure. Another highly placed politician within the Vice President‘s circle who was contacted to confirm the report declined, but only after he had said that it was ”75 per cent true and 25 per cent a rumour.”

Watchers say that some of the happenings in Abuja on Friday were related to the pressure. On Friday, the presidency issued a statement, which was carried by the international media, that the president would not be resigning.

Also on Friday, sources told Saturday Punch that the Vice President had summoned an emergency meeting of Ijaw leaders to deliberate on what his response to the pressure should be. Leaders of the Ijaw National Congress, the umbrella body of the VP‘s Ijaw ethnic group in the Niger Delta, were said to have been invited for a closed door meeting with the VP to deliberate on the issue.

Meanwhile, the President of the Ijaw Monitoring Group, Mr. Joseph Evah, who acknowledged that Jonathan was under some form of pressure, has warned politicians not to frustrate Jonathan out of office.

He challenged those involved in the project to join Nigerians to pray for the health of the President who according to him, would survive the current health challenge.

He said that a group had claimed before that they might give Jonathan the treatment they gave to the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola or Chief Ernest Shonekan, who was compelled to hand over power to General Sani Abacha.

He warned that the people of the Niger Delta and the Nigerian people would not fold their arms to watch people perpetrate heinous illegality.

He said, ”We are alive, there is a group that is behind this thing and Jonathan is not even helping issues. We are not new to the position of the North. We are praying for the President to be alive and he will survive the sickness. Honestly, we want him to live.

”However, we are aware of the type of meetings being carried out by this clique. We urge them to please pray for Mr. President instead of preoccupying themselves with such issues.”

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200911284581028

What a country.

He said that a group had claimed before that they might give Jonathan the treatment they gave to the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola or Chief Ernest Shonekan, who was compelled to hand over power to General Sani Abacha.

It is time for Nigerians to stand up for their rights and the rule of law. This criminal behaviour has to be stopped lest the country be plunged into more chaos.
Nigeria has been tittering for some time and we need a period of calm to settle things down.

[size=18pt]may God punish all those who carry rumours and fake news with the intent of dividing Nigeria.[/size]

Paroh_frey:

may God punish all those who carry rumours and fake news with the intent of dividing Nigeria.

What has this article got to do with rumours and fake news?

Naija is like a movie.

This is serious. I cant wait to see where all these will end. One thing is sure thoug, Nigeria will not remain d same after all these.

If he resings, he is the biggest coward,
if David Mark becomes acting president,
then my 2015 Nigeria division would be happening sooner than expected!
what a country,
long live the president!

OAM4J:

This is serious. I cant wait to see where all these will end. One thing is sure thoug, Nigeria will not remain d same after all these.

I agree. Nigeria will come out different depending on the way these three issues are handled:
[list]
[li]Do we live by the rule of law or is a nation of 140 million governed by a "gentlemans" agreement between ex-generals and kingmakers of yesterday?[/li]
[li]Is the PDP rule book superior to the Nigerian constituition?[/li]
[li]Is the desire to pacify the region that has ruled for 40 of our 49 years (by unconstituitionally handing them the presidency) a threat to national security?[/li]
[/list]

man if this happens I will weep for nigeria

Lol, Ode, i beg get lost. Even UN Sec. Gen no get d power.




Thanks for the comments but i want you you to understand that i have been out before and i am registration agent and you can check it out more about me and here is my id you can contact me, kemonina@yahoo.com, i will be waiting to read back from you soon ok,

@ kemo Why bring dis to dis thread? Wht do u mean you are a registration agent? So dat gives u d power to issue visa of any country to anyone. My friend pls get lost, u are not making any sense, you must b a scammer.

Pls dont derail this thread, go to ur thread in travel forum, i will answer you there.

Naija
its a jungle out there; dog eat cat.

let him resign for the southerner to take over,

All of you discuss as if you are fools, idiots, and illetrates. A democratically elected person, who is fit and heathy should resign for what reason? Is this a millitary setting or a democratic setting? Just because a newspaper journalist wakes up and writes a story, then you come up here discussing it as if it is true? Is Jonathan a fool, an idiot and a stupid man that will just wake up and resign? What will the house of rep and the senate be looking to allow that to happen? Do you guys realy think at all?

How childish can the statement below be?

”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.”

So Obasanjo is now God right? He knows Yar Adua is sick and will die before the end of his term? Why hasnt he been killed then? Why is he being left to chance of completing his term if the above statement is true?

Paroh_frey:

All of you discuss as if you are fools, idiots, and ill[size=14pt]e[/size]trates. . .

Damn!

^^^

Not a relevant issue. Goat!

All of you discuss as if you are fools, idiots, and illetrates. A democratically elected person, who is fit and heathy should resign for what reason? Is this a millitary setting or a democratic setting? Just because a newspaper journalist wakes up and writes a story, then you come up here discussing it as if it is true? Is Jonathan a fool, an idiot and a stupid man that will just wake up and resign? What will the house of rep and the senate be looking to allow that to happen? Do you guys realy think at all?

So Obasanjo is now God right? He knows Yar Adua is sick and will die before the end of his term? Why hasnt he been killed then? Why is he being left to chance of completing his term if the above statement is true?

@Paroh_frey,
the first issue here is that neither yar adua nor jonathan was elected by nigerians rather they were imposed on us by , the owner of nigeria.
you asked if obasanjo is God. the answer is no but he is a small god as far as nigeria is concerned.
for me, who resigns or who stays is never our decission to make because somebody is in charge.
there is a party here known as pdp and the leader/owner of the party is obasanjo and he has powers to select, appoint and impose or even dispose. do not fail to ask questions on which of these roles u do not understand well as i will be here to make practical and vivid refferences.
at the moment, pdp is only concentrating on taking over anambra state so yar adua is not the case at the moment.
nigerians shld stop worrying themselves with what happens and what next as obansajo is there to take care of all that.
if you are in new york for real, it is easy for you to talk new york politics as i understand ur situations because the situation back home is way beyond human imaginations.
in naija, anything is possible.

Beaf:

Damn!

Paroh_frey:

^^^

Not a relevant issue. Goat!

Beaf, abeg free Paroh_frey, He is a frustrated seller from the Auto section hiding under another id. 

chidichris:

@Paroh_frey,
the first issue here is that neither yar adua nor jonathan was elected by nigerians rather they were imposed on us by ,  the owner of nigeria.
you asked if obasanjo is God. the answer is no but he is a small god as far as nigeria is concerned.
for me, who resigns or who stays is never our decission to make because somebody is in charge.
there is a party here known as pdp and the leader/owner of the party is obasanjo and he has powers to select, appoint and impose or even dispose. do not fail to ask questions on which of these roles u do not understand well as i will be here to make practical and vivid refferences.
at the moment, pdp is only concentrating on taking over anambra state so yar adua is not the case at the moment.
nigerians shld stop worrying themselves with what happens and what next as obansajo is there to take care of all that.
if you are in new york for real, it is easy for you to talk new york politics as i understand your situations because the situation back home is way beyond human imaginations.
in naija, anything is possible.

this is the bitter truth but i know the end to all these is very near when some set of people that called themselves kings maker can just force somebody on us whether fit or unfit

Who are these few faceless northern cabals? Do we have any constitution in this country? Is Jonathan man enough to fight for what is rightly his with the support of majority of Nigerians? BUT OUR PRESIDENT IS STILL ALIVE, WILL NOT DIE SOON AND HAS NOT RESIGNED!

SEFAGO:

man if this happens I will weep for nigeria

Are u just waking up? Our fathers saw it coming more than 40 yrs ago and some died for it. Goodmorning is u are just getting up from your bed.

Why can't we accept it to keep our so called "One Nigeria"

gestapo:

Beaf, abeg free Paroh_frey, He is a frustrated seller from the Auto section hiding under another id. 

ANOTHER slowpoke.

Watchers say that some of the happenings in Abuja on Friday were related to the pressure. On Friday, the presidency issued a statement, which was carried by the international media, that the president would not be resigning.

Why do nigerian newspaper quote foreign/international media on news happening in nigeria?

The Cable News Network quoted a presidential press statement as saying that, ”President Umaru Musa Yar‘Adua and the vice president will continue in their respective roles and the latter will not assume presidential duties.”

Punch a nigerian newspaper quoting CNN on a press release by a nigerian government

Paroh_frey:

ANOTHER slowpoke.

Singing Wande Cole bumper to bumper, its Mo hits, na who do this beat o Don baba Jazzy.

2 Years ago when i was in Mushin . . . . . . . 

Paroh, you know yourself, and we know you. LOL 

A company will register as a NEWSpaper and start publishing rumours, speculations, suggestions and hearsay.


Sources, sources, sources. All bullcrap. The most amazing part is where they declared that Obasanjo had a vision of Yar'Adua leaving the seat by virtue of his ailment. Something even Yar'Adua had no clue of. Hmmm, Pastor Olusegun Obasanjo aka Obstro-damn-us.


Nigerians, grow up and stop acting like the Europe of the Dark Ages.

There is no smoke without fire. Story could be true for all we know.

Politically, are we sitting on a keg of gun powder? Forcing him to resign would be downright unconstitutional and potentially dangerous. Obasanjo had created a monstrous situation that will undo Nigeria as we know it.

Jaybee2412:

Politically, are we sitting on a keg of gun powder? Forcing him to resign would be downright unconstitutional and potentially dangerous. Obasanjo had created a monster that will undo Nigeria as we know it.

What is unconstitutional about forcing him resign? He has been a part of a comatose government, and since we see no evidence that he is also capable of leading the country, why should there be no call for him to step off so someone more capable can get in the seat? By the way, I am sure someone is going to try the "Jonathan is not president and so he cannot do anything" card, to that I say, we get real. If the man has showns himself incapable of even doing much as a vice, giving him the seat as president should be out of the question. Why force Yar adua to resign, only to replace him with his twin?

I knew it will come to this, this is what i have always been waiting for.
Nigeria is one comedy of a nation, whoever sign that kinda nonsense for the north south power sharing must have been a fool and an idiot.
I wish the people of the east will fight this and make sure it never happen, when they were "voting" during the last presidential election, they voted to the Yaradua-Jonathan ticket and they were aware of the meaning of a Vice president then, they knew Jonathan wasn't from the North, they use the dude to get the "vote" of the people from that zone and now that they have succeeded, they wanna boot him out, that shd not be allowed

I have always talk about this power zone thing, it is not a kingship kinda power, it is democracy and that is total stupidity, we will see how it will all end.
What a nation.

Our constitution is flawed in many aspects anyways, and I am an ardent believer of rotational presidency. So it is not a biggie if Jonathan should resign if Yaradua dies. A northerner needs to complete their 8 years cos I do not want to hear any story in 2015 when it is my turn to be presido
Jonathan can come back as VP when northerners get a new man

mekusxxx:

Our constitution is flawed in many aspects anyways, and I am an ardent believer of rotational presidency. So it is not a biggie if Jonathan should resign if Yaradua dies. A northerner needs to complete their 8 years cos I do not want to hear any story in 2015 when it is my turn to be presido
Jonathan can come back as VP when northerners get a new man

What a pathetic conclusion?
The man shd retire all cos some dumb fools in the north think that they deserve 8 years in office, i will tell you what? what they were making such stupid constitution, who and who were present before it was passed.
If this is the cost we have to pay to stay together as a nation, then for the first time, i will support the idea of us going our separate ways.
They could have chosen a Northerner when they wanted to select a VP for Yaradua, and if Yaradua dies, The VP shd take over and be sworn in, regardless of how the North will see it.
What makes you think they will let you rule come 2015?
We need to worry about today and not assume what some 5 years away will bring, what even make yu think Nigeria will last till then?