CyberschuulShout

A File on
THE MISSING PRESIDENT
 

Nigeria must have shocked the world.

“June 12”, “Abacha must stay”, “3^rd Term Agenda” are probably the only debacles that compare with the recent experience of a Nigerian President that went AWOL (Absent without official Leave). 
 

CyberschuulShout is distinct from CyberschuulNews.

CyberschuulShout is the megaphone of the CyberschuulNews.com group. While CyberschuulNews reports telecommunications and information technology from its own perspective regularly, CyberschuulShout tells stories of society from the opinion of others occasionally.  It is a masquerade which visits only when necessary.
 

Nigerians forget so easily that their past must be placed on record for them to read in future. Don’t be surprised if Nigerians forget few years down the road that one fellow once told them that their President can rule them from anywhere.

"There are some rumours about some stories, but let me assure Nigerians that the president is okay. We spoke before he left this country and we have been speaking. So, discountenance any form of false rumours being spread by mischievous characters in this country. I assure you that Mr. President is healthy,"
   - VP Goodluck Jonathan, while receiving dignitaries at the state house after Eid prayers, Nov 29, 2009

“There has not actually been a power vacuum. The main issue is that there must be ways of resolving our progress constitutionally. The system is working because nobody has taken up arms..”.... "..The powers of the President are not exercised territorially. Yar’Adua can exercise his powers anywhere in the world, on the plane, at the meeting of the United Nations or even on his sick bed, as long as he is not incapacitated by the sickness.

   - Micheal Aondoaaka, Attorny Gen & Minsiter of Justice, December 16, 2009

"We therefore challenge him (the President) and his spin doctors to address us on a live broadcast on television. We don't want video. The constitution does not provide for a president ruling us from a sick bed and in an undisclosed hospital. This insult must stop and therefore we are saying enough is enough"
   - Femi Falana, at the Save Nigeria rally in Abuja, Jan 13, 2010

“I have been asking myself, is it that we have reached the zenith of our past and we are declining or is it that this nation is dead. And if we are dead, we should invite the whole world to come and conduct a post-mortem.”
   - Prof Wole Soyinka, speaking to journalists, Jan 16, 2010

"Once again, I confirm that President Umar Musa Yar'adua is alive, feeling much better, mentally alert and home bound very soon by the grace of the Almighty God".
   = Tanimu Yakubu, Chief Economic adviser to President Yar`dua, Jan 20, 2010

"If you take up an appointment, or a job, elected, appointed or whatever and then your health starts failing you, and you will not be able to satisfy yourself and the people you are supposed to serve, then, there is a path of honour and a path of morality and if you don't do that.... I do not need to say more than that."
   - Olusegun Obasanjo, speaking at the annual Trust Dialogue, Jan 22, 2010

In this compilation:

Yar'adua hospitalized in Saudi hospital at Jeddah-ap : Sahara Reporters , Nov 24, 2009  

Yar'adua presents '10 budget by proxy, separately: Guardian Newspaper, Nov 25, 2009

Yar'adua 'unconscious' in Saudi Arabia: fears mount in Nigeria:  Sahara reporters, Nov 25,2009

'Yar'adua has heart ailment': Guardian Newspaper, Nov 27, 2009 

President, vice president and chapter six: constitution on succession: Guardian Newspaper, Nov 27,2009    

Yar’adua’s health: “don’t step down!” Turai advises him: Sahara Reporters, 27 Nov, 2009          

Inside story of Yar’adua death scare: Sun Newspaper, Nov 28, 2009

Yar'adua: poor health and half-truths: Sonala Olumhense, 28 Nov ,2009.

Vice president Jonathan denies resignation report: Guardian Newspaper, Nov 29, 2009

2011: will Yar’adua run or not? : Sun Newspaper, Nov 29,2009        

Who is in charge of Nigeria? : Reuben Abati,  Nov 29, 2009

As Yar’adua’s condition remains unknown, PDP, politicians, colleagues, map out strategies to take advantage: Sahara Reporters, 29 Nov, 2009

Prominent Nigerians call on Yar'adua to resign!: Sahara Reporters, 01 Dec,2009

PDP accuses opposition of heating up polity over Yar'adua's health: Guardian Newspaper, Dec 01, 2009       

Yar’adua’s luck, Nigeria's misfortune: OKEY NDIBE, Dec 1, 2009

Senators kill motion on President's health : Guardian Newspapers, Dec 02, 2009

FEC dismisses calls for Yar'adua's exit: Guardian Newspaper, Dec 03, 2009

Yar’adua returns next week –Nigeria's envoy to Saudi Arabia: Daily Sun , Dec 4 2009  

Scramble for Yar’adua’s job begins: Sun Newspaper, Dec 06, 2009

Yar'adua still fit for office, says sister: Guardian Newspaper, Dec 07, 2009

No date yet for president's return, says FEC: Guardian Newspaper, Dec 10,2009

 Yar'adua on bed rest, Saudi hospital calm: Guardian Newspaper, Dec 11, 2009      

Yar'adua: rumour thrives when truth is tainted.: Levi Obijiofor, Dec 11, 2009          

Katsina Gov denied access to Yar'adua: Guardian Newspaper, Dec 12, 2009

Nigeria becoming 'worthless, irrelevant’ to us -ex-American envoys: Guardian Newspaper, Dec 13, 2009

Re-In defense of Yar'adua: Dayo Coker, Dec 14, 2009,     

President can rule Nigeria from anywhere-Aondoakaa: Punch Newspaper, Dec 16, 2009 

Nigerians in U.S. seek end to vacuum in presidency: Guardian Newspaper, Dec 25, 2009

We want to see Yar'adua, g-53 insists.: Sun Newspaper, January 04, 2010          

As legal fireworks open in Abuja, Yar’adua’s return not “imminent;” kitchen cabinet begins to unravel. : Sahara Reporters, New York, 05 January 2010   

Yar'adua's health improves, seek passage of terrorism bill, says aide: Guardian Newspaper, January 06, 2010   

Govs meet Jonathan over way forward: Guardian Newspaper, January 07, 2010            

Yar'adua: intervention by legislature is premature: Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, January 10, 2010      

Yar'adua and the catastrophic failure of the Nigerian media: Chris Tunde Odediran, 10 January 2010    

Aso rock: after 40 days and 40 nights: Nzeribe Ihekwaba, January 11, 2010    

Abuja: thousands of protesters call on Yar’adua to resign: Sahara reporters, 12 January 2010       

Protesters demand Yar'adua's ouster; president speaks: Guardian Newspaper, January 13, 2010.

Intrigues as senate debates yar'adua's health: January 13, 2010.

Why Jonathan can't be 'acting president', by court: Guardian Newspaper, January 14, 2010.

Soyinka urges more protests, picketing of embassies: Guardian Newspaper, January 16, 2010.

Yar'adua: PDP hawks floor Obasanjo at BOT meeting: Guardian Newspaper, January 16, 2010.

Jonathan: mischief makers beware... I can take charge: Guardian Newspaper, January 17, 2010

Who is Nigeria's president? : Salim Muhammed, January 18, 2010   

Yar'adua not bound to handover, court rules: Guardian Newspaper, Jan 20, 2010.

Nba, 41 eminent Nigerians back handover to Jonathan: Guardian Newspaper, January 21, 2010,

Take path of honour, Obasanjo advises Yar'adua: Guardian Newspaper, January 22, 2010.        

Let general Obasanjo tell his story to the marines: Femi Falana, 22 January 2010         

Obasanjo: the limits of hypocrisy: Ikechukwu Amaechi,       

Obasanjo-clever by half : Sunday Dare , 23 January 2010      

Ojo Madueke live on BBC: DailyIndependentngr.com, Michael John    

Yar'adua may return next week: Guardian Newspaper, January 23, 2010.      

Yar’adua fights back: CHIDI OBINECHE, January 25, 2010.

Yar'adua is brain damaged': 234NEXT.com, January 26, 2010

Constitution backs Yar'adua not to resign': Guardian Newspaper, January 26, 2010.

Yar’adua’s absence: enter group 41: Sun Newspaper, January 26, 2010.  

Senate debate on Yar'adua inconclusive: Guardian Newspaper, January 27, 2010.

Obasanjo’s democracy: first the fantasy, now the reality: Lindsay Barret, January 28, 2010      

Senate demands vacation letter from Yar'adua: Guardian Newspaper, January 28, 2010.

Political power and Yar'adua's illness: Edwin madunagu, January 28, 2010       

Hand over to Jonathan: Gowon, Shagari, Ekwueme, others urge Yar’adua: Sun Newspaper, January 29, 2010.

A scream in the streets (ii):  Sonala Olumhense, January 31, 2010          

Yar'adua to live forever; Nigeria may die: Okey Ndibe, February 1, 2010         

"gathering clouds": media stakeholders call on national assembly to impeach Yar'adua: Sahara Reporters, New York, 02 February 2010 

Yar'adua: radical senators move for sanctions: Guardian Newspaper; February 2, 2010.           

Yaradua: Saudi king grants use of air ambulance: ThisDay Newspaper; February 2, 2010

Senate insists on vacation letter from Yar'adua: Guardian Newspaper, February 03, 2010.

Impeach president Yar’adua - Fasheun writes Nigerian senate: Dr. Fredrick Fasheun, February 4, 2010  

Dora's memo: "if we fail to act now, history will not forgive us": Dora Akunyili, 04 February 2010

Yar’ adua: Nigeria mocked in south Africa: Punch Newspaper, Feb 4, 2010.

Why nobody has access to Yar’adua – presidential aide: Punch Newspaper, Feb 5, 2010

Govs want Jonathan sworn in as acting president on Tuesday: Guardian Newspaper, February 06, 2010.

Oil deals behind ministers' opposition to Jonathan: Punch Newspaper, Feb 6, 2010       

Yar’adua and the rest of us (iv) ... A matter of good conscience: The May 29^th Group, Feb 7, 2010          

Yar'adua: the game is up: Reuben Abati, February 07, 2010     

And so it came to pass: Solana Olumhense, February 07, 2010 

National assembly recognises Jonathan as acting president: Punch Newspaper, 9 Feb 2010.     

"acting presidency": acceptance speech by Goodluck Jonathan: Sahara Admin , 09 February 2010 

Turmoil in Nigeria: Tom Evans,     

Updated: Aondoakaa removed, prince Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN) now AGF : Sahara Reporters, New York , 10 February 2010        

How to start a revolution – step-by-step guide: Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo, 10 February 2010

An epilogue from the FEC chambers: Guardian Newspaper, February 11, 2010.    

Now that Goodluck Jonathan is acting president: Mobolaji E. Aluko, PhD. February 13, 2010

Turai's laws of power: Sam Nda-Isaih 

Yar’adua Returns: PUNCH Newspaper,  Feb 24, 2010 

Yaradua’s “return”: SNG insists on invocation of section 144 Yinka Odumakin Wednesday, 24 February 2010

Confusion in Aso Rock Guardian Thursday, February 25, 2010

Save Nigeria Group asks for arrest/prosecution of Yar' Adua's aides by Femi Falana, February 28.

My Thoughts On Yar’adua’s Return by Pat Utomi, taken from NIGERIA TODAY ONLINE TUESDAY MARCH 2, 2010

The Change They Can’t Stop by Dele Momodu,THIS DAY, 03.05.2010


 

(copied from internet social networking site, Facebook)

Yar'Adua: Poor Health And Half-truths

Written by Sonala Olumhense Saturday, 28 November 2009 in SaharaReporters.com

FIRST, I send my sympathies and prayers to President Umaru Yar'Adua, who is lying on a sick bed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Last week, he finally summoned up the courage to tell Nigerians that he has a serious health condition.

Regrettably, only Nigerians seem to keep faith with Yar'Adua, a favour that is not returned. He plays us like a game of hide-and-seek.

He has always told Nigerians that his health was none of their business. Last Thursday's admission that he now suffers from "acute pericarditis," inflammation of the lining surrounding the heart, has not really changed anything.

His announcement amounts to no more than notice to Nigerians that he is taking a sick leave, and will not be back in the "four days" the presidency had originally announced. I suspect his doctors must have told him that he needed to remain in bed, and not go about pretending to be capable of any work.

Let us remember that pericarditis is not Yar'Adua's basic health challenge. What has grounded him, if he ever had wings to begin with, is that he suffers from Churg-Strauss Syndrome (CSS). This is a blood vessel inflammation disorder which he has refused to admit, perhaps because although it may be managed through the use of powerful drugs, including steroids, it has no cure.

Doctors say that the inflammation suffered by a CSS patient can be serious. It may severely restrict blood flow to vital organs and tissues, or even damage them, permanently. CSS is said to be difficult to diagnose, but a patient may exhibit such symptoms as severe tingling in the hands and feet, shooting pains, hay fever, rash or gastrointestinal bleeding.

Asthma is said to be the most common sign of the condition. In fact, the typical patient is a middle aged individual with a history of new-onset or newly-worsened asthma. The man awarded Nigeria's presidency by his predecessor, Olusegun Obasanjo, suffers from asthma, but prefers to say he has a "cold" or "catarrh."

What does this mean for Yar'Adua?

To begin with, it means that he is still deceiving Nigeria. His announcement of acute pericarditis is, as usual, in his own interest, not in that of Nigeria. It is another of those sugar-covered bitter-colanuts by which he and his People's Democratic Party have kept Nigeria buried for 10 years. As usual, his government had first said his mission in Saudi Arabia was the hajj pilgrimage, but would call on his doctor.

The truth is simpler: his two conditions are serious. They may not kill him, but they will not permit him to champion anything, either, let alone to be a champion at anything more demanding than lying down in bed next to the television remote control.

As a humanist, I completely, enthusiastically support having him in bed trying to get better and prolong his life. He owes himself that. He owes his family that.

But Nigeria does not owe him that. Nigeria is neither part of his condition, nor should it be a part of its management.

What Yar'Adua is doing is the ultimate blackmail of an entire nation: an incapacitated leader who keeps his country handcuffed to his poor physical condition. It is the ultimate greed in a sick leader who, out of love for power, keeps his country in his sick bed with him like the very bed cover, sleeping on it, immobilizing it. He might as well be a criminal who takes his family to jail with him.

Yar'Adua's conduct emits an unforgivable odour. It is the ultimate sickness when a leader thinks nothing of what is at stake when he goes to the hospital. Yar'Adua's foreign sick bed may be a special suite, but out there, when he lies paralyzed, or is unconscious, he is not just one patient. He is a country. He is 130 million unfortunate people lying prostrate, medicated, going nowhere.

It is not difficult for me to understand why Yar'Adua is indifferent: even when he is in Nigeria and presumably in charge, he knows better than anyone else that he is not. What we have is a shell of a government: all the trappings are in place, and as long as the leader does not have to perform a particular ritual in the open every day, everything will always appear to be normal.

Even when he is within our shores, Yar'Adua travels with the nearest thing to a full-fledged Emergency hospital, with an ambulance and medical personnel but a few feet away. He is neither healthy enough nor concerned enough to care what happens to any other Nigerian who is sick. And he exists within a political bubble that is ruthless enough to exploit his "dying today, alive tomorrow" situation.

In effect, Yar'Adua's current situation is proof positive, if anyone needed one, that he was neither elected, nor do we have true democracy in our country. What we have is an abducted presidency that its "owners" keep in place to serve only their selfish interests. Yar'Adua is not healthy enough truly to understand what is going on, let alone to rise and serve.

We have to be the laughing stock of the world. We claim a democracy the leader of which is constitutionally unfit to serve, but would not step aside. We have a government the leader of which cannot present a budget to the legislature, let alone put out any kind of political fire or undertake serious governance. We have a leader that cannot go to any gatherings of world leaders or conduct his cabinet meetings or stay awake long enough to fire a minister. Bad governance? Is that better than "no governance"?

This is the definition of shame. What time does this man have to think about our nation's strategic interests and best policies, or to monitor a policy, any policy? With all those strong medications, how often does he really know when is day, and when night; who is man, and who is woman; which direction is left, and which right?

This is far beyond UMYA's condition. It is about our growing irrelevance as an underdeveloping country. Obasanjo knew what he was doing when he handcuffed us to Yar'Adua: lies, cliches and make-believe: a fate worse than death.

We need a long scream in the streets.

APOLOGIES

The title of Chinua Achebe's new book is "The Education of a British-Protected Child." It is not "The Education of a British-Protected Citizen," as I wrongly mentioned here last week. In addition, Professor Achebe's road crash was in 1989, not 2001. I apologize for these errors.

Two weeks ago, I also predicted that Nigeria would win the Under-17 World Cup. We did not; I am still trying to wipe the egg off my face.

sonala.olumhense@gmail.com

Vice President Jonathan Denies Resignation Report

By Madu Onuorah (Abuja) and Simeon Nwakaudu, (Makurdi), Guardian Newspaper, NOV 29

VICE President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, described as "false in its entirety," the newspaper (not The Guardian) report that he is under pressure to resign from office.

The Vice President also regretted that President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's illness "has been blown out of all proportion in the media."

Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity), Mr Ima Niboro, in a statement, the Vice President said the content of the report about pressure on him to resign from office "dwells entirely in the imagination of its authors, their sponsors and co-travelers."

Noting that the report, with its "wild and quite insulting claim requires no further elaboration", Jonathan asked Nigerians to "discountenance such drivel," even as he stated that President Yar'Adua "is okay."

The Statement reads in part: "We have read with considerable dismay, the story of The Punch, published today, November 28, with the above headline, and wish to point out straightaway that it is false in its entirety, and designed to create unnecessary panic and tension in the country. This story,we must add, is sheer mischief, and dwells entirely in the imagination of its authors, their sponsors and co travelers.

"For the benefit of those who did not read The Punch today, the newspaper in its lead story claimed that as a fall out of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's slight indisposition, which by the way, has been blown out of all proportion in the media,Vice President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is under pressure to resign.

"The newspaper failed to state clearly who or what body was bringing this pressure to bear, but went ahead to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians, including the Vice President himself,by suggesting that Dr. Jonathan is to be made to sign an undated letter of resignation.., "which can become binding in the event that the president is unable to continue in office".

"That this is a wild and quite insulting claim requires no further elaboration. Certainly, the general public can discountenance such drivel.

"We urge all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to give support to the President Yar' Adua's Administration. As the Vice President noted yesterday, and was widely reported in the media, the president is okay, and there is no cause for alarm.

"May I note that interestingly, The Punch did not report the Vice President’s remarks, since they did not sync very well with their predetermined, but out rightly and obviously false, resignation story. Sad."

VICE President Goodluck Jonathan has been urged to resist pressure being mounted on him to resign and pave way for the retention of the presidency in the North, following the failing health of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Rally Movement (NRM), a Non-governmental Organisation, in a statement signed by its President, Dr Leonard Shilgba, cautioned the Vice President against taking any position that is not premised on effective negotiation with stakeholders.

According to the group, any decision taken by the Vice President in the present circumstances must be based on clear-cut discussions with the relevant northern stakeholders and must not be a product of arm-twisting tactics.

The statement read: "Vice President Goodluck Jonathan should not and must not yield to whatever pressure to resign his office. The North had better negotiate with Dr Jonathan respectfully. Any arm-twisting is an exercise in vain."

The statement further noted that should President Yar'Adua be declared unfit to hold office on medical grounds, as contained in the constitution, Vice President Jonathan should assume office as envisaged by the 1999 constitution and thereafter nominate his vice going forward to 2011.

Shilgba, who hails from Benue State in the North, pointed out that it would not be wise for the North to underrate Dr Jonathan as nobody can determine what a president would do with power when it is actually in his custody. The group regretted that President Umaru Yar'Adua was flown abroad on medical emergency without observing the constitutional provisions, which expects him to make a formal declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, which gives Vice President Jonathan the power to assume the role of an acting President in his absence from the seat of power.

Shilgba declared: "Permit me to state unequivocally that Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan cannot pretend to discharge the functions of President as Acting President except and until the transmission referred to in section 145 has been made and personally signed by President Yar'Adua.

"If there is no such written transmission, as I have no reasonable cause to believe there is, Nigeria does not have either a President or Acting President.

"The Vice-President can only assume the functions of an Acting President according to section 145, or of a President according to section 146 in the absence of the President by reason of death or resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacitation (in accordance to section 144) or removal from office for any other reason in accordance to sections 143 and 144."

The group continued: "The word "whenever" implies an expected course of action. It is not optional for the President to send a written declaration about his absence; it is a constitutional requirement, because the constitution does not permit a vacuum in leadership. If President Yar'Adua has failed, neglected, or ignored to send a written declaration that he is unable to discharge his duties as president before he was flown out, that would be a breach of the constitution which the national assembly would do well to look into."

They declared that the condition quoted by the Presidential Spokesman, Segun Adeniyi, as coming from the President's personal physician, Dr Barau Banye, known as 'acute pericarditis', is a medical condition that can prevent an employee, let alone the President of a nation, from discharging his functions.

The group regretted that Section 144(1) of the 1999 Constitution gives the power for the declaration that the President or Vice President is incapable of holding office due to ill-health to the Federal Executive Council, pointing that ministers protecting their jobs, which would be lost upon the removal of Yar'Adua would make no such declaration in the interest of the nation.

"Those Ministers are employees of the President; and the removal of the President is certainly theirs too. How could the constitution envisage that two-third of all Ministers could be so altruistic, putting the interest of the nation above their pay jobs, to pass a resolution that would lead to the removal of the President in the circumstances?" the group queried.

The group concluded that it would be an incalculable error for any Northern or Southern group to intimidate Jonathan in the prevailing circumstance for fear that he may become president.

2011: Will Yar’Adua run or not?

By WILLY EYA, Sunday Sun, November 29, 2009

Ahead of 2011 general election, Nigeria has again relapsed into a period of political permutations. Politics is already in the air across the nation with several questions agitating the minds of people. Expectedly, at a time like this, virtually every body claims some level of proficiency in analyzing political events.

But in the frenzy, one question which continues to ring a bell is: Will President Umaru Yar’Adua run for a second term in office in 2011 or not? To be on the safe side, many would be hesitant to make conclusions considering that politics is a game of various possibilities.

Already, five governors including two each from the North-west, North-east and one from North-central have reportedly shown subtle interests to step into Yar’Adua’s shoes should he for any reason decide not to contest the 2011 presidential election.

According to sources, those eyeing Yar’Adua’s seat are capitalizing on the President’s lingering poor health status. The ambitious governors do not want to be caught unawares in the event that the former Katsina governor throws in the towel in the next presidential race.

It will be recalled that the sensitive issue of Yar’Adua’s ill-health led to the sack of Alhaji Babagana Kingibe as Secretary to the federal government. Kingibe was rumoured to be nursing a presidential ambition and to take advantage of the deteriorating health of the president.

But for optimists, it is only proper to assume that Yar’Adua will seek re-election after his first four years in office. The argument is based on the precedence in Nigeria and in several parts of the world where incumbents usually seek re-election after first tenure. Many in this school of thought believe that the former lecturer has done fairly well in at least reducing the political tension hitherto prevalent in the administration of his predecessor, Olusegun Obasanjo. So, the calculation is that he should be given a fresh opportunity to consolidate his achievements.

The above position is strengthened by Article 9.2 (iv) of PDP constitution that, “The party shall issue automatic tickets to any first-term serving President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and all first-term serving governors who have expressed interest to contest a second term without going through party primaries, unless in the case of the President, there is a petition of misconduct supported by two-third majority of governors and elected members of the National Assembly from the party. The idea for automatic tickets according to the party is, “To create the enabling environment for stability, purposeful leadership and dedication to duty by those holding exalted offices”.

However, for critical political observers, Yar’Adua should forget his second term ambition because several odds seem to be against him. More than any other factor, the thinking among people in this group is that he is not physically fit to drive the ship of state in a volatile country like Nigeria. Last Monday, he traveled to Saudi Arabia for a medical check, and was reported to have been admitted to a hospital in the city of Jeddah. The development has sparked another round of anxiety and many Nigerians are preoccupied with speculations on the actual state of health. The perception is that the seeming failure of his administration is largely because of his poor health status over the years.

With the cloudy political atmosphere, the question of whether he will run or not keep recurring in the public domain. But for keen political observers, two major developments recently sent clear signals that the machinery for the re-election of the former Katsina State governor has been put in place and patiently waiting to be rolled into action. The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof Rufai Alkali had on Tuesday, November 17 made it clear that no vacancy existed in Aso Rock, the nation’s seat of power, in 2011, an indication that Yar’Adua is about being returned for a second term.

Alkali, in making the remark, seemed to have reacted to impressions making the rounds that Kaduna State governor, Namadi Sambo, had been chosen by some chieftains of the party to run on its platform in 2011. But even when Alkali laboured to paint the picture of addressing recalcitrant party members, he perhaps, unwittingly confirmed the fears among Nigerians that large-scale efforts are being diverted by the Presidency from governance to scheming for Yar’Adua’s re-election.

A day earlier, a meeting was convened in Abuja to inaugurate national and state coordinators as well as appoint national facilitators of the President’s campaign platform, named “Yar’Adua for New Nigeria”. The meeting had the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political Matters, Senator Polycarp Nwite, as the anchor. According to Nwite, Yar’Adua For New Nigeria (YFONN) is a non-governmental political movement formed by like minds who believe in the principles of equity, justice and fair play. “The organisation is set up to promote the laudable policies of President Yar’Adua’s government, canvass for and promote true democracy that is rooted in the rule of law, internal democracy of the parties, free, fair and credible elections, zero tolerance to graft, freedom of association and other such factors that guarantee the fundamental human rights of all Nigerians. Membership of the group is open to all Nigerians,” he added.

Until the meeting, Presidency officials had put up vigorous efforts in denying moves at working for Yar’Adua’s re-election. Even the President had on occasions appeared totally unexcited by the agenda.

But beneath the denials, critics of the President have a hunch that he has only succeeded in befuddling unsuspecting Nigerians. It was gathered, for instance, that while Yar’Adua was busy urging his party men to exercise restraint in going about their individual ambitions, the Presidency, which he heads, had been assiduously working for his re-election in 2011.

The PDP Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Harilu Mohammed Bello, had earlier in the year said the party would support the second term aspiration of Yar’Adua, claiming that the Seven-point Agenda of his administration was programmed to be completed in eight years.

According to Bello, “President Yar’Adua is entitled to four years in office. That will end by 2011, and by the grace of God, he will seek a second term in office to make it eight years, because his Seven-point Agenda is designed to be implemented within a time frame of eight years.”

He expressed the support of the party for Yar’Adua’s second term, declaring: “We shall offer him a 100 per cent support when the time comes. I can assure you that the PDP structures will afford him the second term when the time comes.”

Sources said Yar’Adua was not initially susceptible to the idea of presenting himself as a candidate for the 2011 presidential election but capitulated to pressure from his wife, Hajia Turai Umaru Yar’Adua and siblings of his late elder brother, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.

Again, the president’s associates allegedly want to prevent Obasanjo’s group from taking over the presidency in 2011 and also to make members of the Yar’Adua group politically relevant.

Sources revealed that Yar’Adua as soon as he agreed to vie for a second term in the office constituted a think-tank to help him fine-tune his tactics and strategy.

The team, sources said, is headed by former Minister for Works and Chairman PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih.

Yar’Adua’s choice of Anenih is deliberately hinged on the fact that the president wanted an experienced politician who knows all the tricks of the game and someone who is widely respected by party members because of his enormous contacts outside the party. According to a source “Yar’Adua intends to meet Obasanjo and his group tit for tat in their own political turf. Anenih knows everything about Obasanjo’s political secret since he was even the one who taught him the tricks of the game. Anenih has the capacity to checkmate Yar’Adua’s opponents especially Obasanjo”.

But not many are excited with the idea of a second term for Yar’Adua. The Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Oluwatosin Akeredolu (SAN), said though it is the president’s personal decision to go for a second term, “but if I am to advise him, I will rather not take this country through another tortuous four years as we are going through now.”

He said there was no justification for Yar’Adua thinking of a second term because he had not performed, adding, “We will beg him not to stay for another four years; he should go and attend to other personal matters.”

Also, a Lagos based constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay, said the president has not done anything tangible to warrant a second term for him.

“He has not performed; he is not qualified for a second term. Apart from the Niger Delta issue, he has done nothing to warrant him going for a second term,” he said.

Also giving the president a knock, National President, Campaign for Democracy (CD), Dr. Joe-Okei Odumakin said she would not support Yar’Adua for a second term in office because he has performed woefully.

She lamented the poor state of power in the nation, insecurity and others, saying that the current move to deregulate the oil sector was terrible.

“If our votes count, he can’t return to power. He should stay out of governance because he has no business there,” she stressed.

Who Is In Charge Of Nigeria?

By Reuben Abati

Guardian Newspapers NOV 29

"There are some rumours about some stories, but let me assure Nigerians that the president is okay. We spoke before he left this country and we have been speaking. So, discountenance any form of false rumours being spread by mischievous characters in this country. I assure you that Mr. President is healthy," he stated. Jonathan, who said he even spoke with Yar'Adua yesterday morning, conveyed the president's greetings to the Muslim community and all Nigerians on the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, thanking them for their prayers. "This morning I personally convey Mr. President's personal greetings. We spoke yesterday and even up to this morning. After this time, I will even speak with him. He asked me to convey his personal greetings to all Nigerians. I want to thank you specially for your prayers for the president, your prayers for the government and your prayers for the country," he further stated.

This passage is taken from a news report in The Sun newspaper. While the intent is clear - to allay the fears of Nigerians over the well-being of their President and Commander-in-Chief, the unintended consequence has been the open declaration that Nigeria is at a crossroads. Our country is at such a moment that requires all patriots to focus on the country's best interests as laid down by its founding fathers not today's class of office holders.

Has Nigeria now been reduced to a country managed by proxy - run by telephone conversations from a hospital in Saudi Arabia? The ill-health of a president is something that should naturally appeal to our best human instincts and Nigerians are capable of that but they have been unable to separate their own realities from that of the Commander-in-Chief who speaks to his men on phone, and they in turn tell Nigerians what he has said. Nobody knows for how long he will remain in Saudi Arabia. Or when he will be strong enough to return to work. We now wake up everyday expecting to hear from either the Vice President or the Special Advisers on this and that or the Attorney General and Minister of Justice or any other government official including Presidential Assistants. In the President's absence, it looks as if a committee is running Nigeria with nobody actually exercising authority. How do we safeguard and inspire belief in our national security, investment drive and international repute under this circumstance - where no one is sure who exactly is in charge? It is an unfair way to treat a country of over 140 million people.

The President is human, and we wish him well, but his illness must not become an excuse for the shoddy conduct that we are witnessing. Before the President left for Saudi Arabia, he should have handed over properly to his Vice President. Rather than run the country from his sick bed, what he actually needs is time off to attend to his health. Even when he is discharged from hospital, he should proceed on a short leave to give him time to recuperate properly. It is a matter of accountability that he does not insist on running the country when he is distracted by ill-health. A weak President gives the impression that the entire country is weak. We are faced with a situation whereby most Nigerians today consider themselves stronger than their President. Strong persons don't feel inspired to follow a weak leader. The country is adrift. Imagine an enemy attack on Calabar through the Bakassi Peninsula, where is the Commander-in-Chief who will receive briefing from security chiefs and order a counter-attack? Who is keeping Nigeria 's secret security codes at this moment, if any?

Lyndon Johnson, former American President chose not to seek re-election because, amongst other reasons such as a poor poll rating and disunity within his own democratic party and the bungling of the Vietnam war- he had a heart ailment. He told his compatriots on March 31, 1968 that - "With America's sons in the fields far away, with America's future under challenge right here at home, with our hopes and the world's hopes for peace in the balance every day, I do not believe that I should devote an hour or a day of my time to any personal partisan causes or to any duties other than the awesome duties of this office--the Presidency of your country. Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President." He thought Americans deserved a President with a strong focus on ONLY the presidency and not the distractions that his personal circumstance was creating. Those were the words of a patriot. Lyndon Johnson was soon proven right. His health had been affected by years of drinking, heavy smoking and stress; the former president had severe heart disease. He had his first, nearly-fatal, heart attack in July 1955 and suffered a second one in April 1972, but had been unable to quit smoking after he left the oval office. He was found dead by Secret Service agents, in his bed, with a telephone in his hand. (The Age, 23 January, 1973, pg 1) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B. Johnson Under Death & Funeral.)

President Yar'Adua's condition was known before he left the country for Saudi Arabia. His doctors must also have made it clear that the treatment for acute pericarditis may require surgery or a prolonged period of rest after the treatment. Even in a family, when a member is going under the knife even for the most routine of surgeries, there are processes involved, some sort of handing over and possible last words. It is a prudent thing to do, more so, when this relates to matters of a sovereign. The position of a country's President is significant and serious. By refusing to hand over each time he travels abroad for medical reasons, President Yar'Adua leaves Nigeria in a lurch. This time around, he has succeeded, through the management of this unfortunate but constitutionally envisaged development encouraged further speculations about a vacuum at the top and opened up the politics of succession where none exists. Under such a situation, it is a nightmare to manage public communication and understanding.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria has a substantive Vice President, but there are speculations that the Vice president cannot act as President. The Punch newspaper reports that the Vice President is even under pressure to resign because certain Northern groups insist that they cannot share their term of office with a Southerner, should the president become incapacitated. A Constitutional crisis stares us in the face with implications for ethnic tension. Those power-mongers who insist that President Yar'Adua is better off running the country despite his ill-health and that Vice President Jonathan must not be allowed to exercise any powers are the ultimate mischief-makers who should be called to order.

On Sallah Day, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan received Muslim visitors on behalf of the President. He was quick in reporting what his boss had told him on telephone from Saudi Arabia . Apparently, this is the kind of job that he is considered good enough for. When he is not receiving visitors on behalf of the President, or taking phone calls, he is sent to go and watch football at the National Stadium. Other persons are asked to perform Presidential functions. The other month, when the President went to Saudi Arabia and could not go to the UN Summit of world leaders in New York, he chose to send his Minister of Foreign Affairs. His Vice President should have been the man to go there. Again, when it became obvious that the President could not make it to the National Assembly to present the nation's budget before each arm of the National Assembly, he sent his Presidential Adviser on National Assembly matters, Mohammed Abba Aji to represent him. It is like sending a manager to a function requiring the presence of a member of the board of directors (someone with the burden of constitutional responsibility). Would it not have been better, and added more seriousness to the process if the Vice President performed the function? The presentation of the 2010 budget by the Special Adviser was a poor joke on the significance, even if ceremonial, of the budget presentation provision in the constitution.

I thought I saw something that looked like loosely-bound sheets on television (unlike the bound copies of old). Couldn't they have tried to bind the copies properly? Then the Presidential Adviser 'inadvertently omitted' the details and revenue estimates for the 2010 budget which he had to take back the next day. By the time he provided the forgotten part of the budget, commentaries had already been passed on the incomplete document that was originally presented. Obviously, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan had not seen a copy of the budget. While the contrived face-off between the House of Representatives and the Senate lasted, the Vice President made a statement in Kaduna that by next year; Nigerians will no longer have any need for generators for the purpose of power supply. If he had seen the budget, he would have not made that statement. For when the budget was then presented it turned out that it makes provision for the purchase of generating sets and fuel, perhaps lending credence to the arguments of those who do not think Jonathan is capable of taking the job. What kind of Vice President is he if he does not know what is going on in government?

As things stand, Nigeria is at the mercy of the President. He has no plans to resign. He is not planning to go on leave (annual or compassionate) either. And he does not intend to allow his Vice President take charge. Under Section 144 of the Nigerian Constitution, if the President is incapacitated and can no longer continue in office, it requires a two-third majority of the Federal Executive Council to so declare to activate the process of his removal from office which will involve the report of a panel of five physicians, including his own physician. A report having been prepared, the National Assembly can then act accordingly. But there is nobody in the FEC, all President Yar'Adua's appointees, who will dare make such a suggestion. The National Assembly has also ruled out the possibility of making any issue out of the President's state of health. In addition, Vice President Jonathan is scared so stiff, he wouldn't dare show any ambition; that is why his speech has been reduced to "we spoke" and "I am planning to speak".

Pericarditis on its own does not incapacitate a man. But if it is of a secondary source, and it is acute, it could result in a situation whereby the patient may not be able to climb the stairs or engage in minimally strenuous activity. The President's physician needs to provide exact and more detailed information about the President's condition. This is not something that can be hidden under the oath of secrecy that all Presidential staff reportedly swore to. Nigeria 's future and security are at stake. In Nigeria, the law is respected only when it suits the purpose of those in power. In President Yar'Adua's case, it is not even the law that is at issue; it is the need for best practice, and realising that the country cannot be run by remote control. The rest of the world cannot understand why we are so confused as a nation and it shows in the reporting of the President's ill-health by the international media.

Running the country by telephone from a hospital bed is a disservice to Nigerians. President Yar'Adua has a medical condition. We all know that and many Nigerians feel for him. Allowing him to bother about issues of governance in Nigeria under his present condition would in a manner of speaking amount to putting more weight on his heart. I am not a medical doctor, but for the sake of Nigeria, his doctors should take away his phones and allow him to recover fully. In the meantime, the President should formally request for a leave of absence: I recommend a month, and during the period, Goodluck Jonathan should be allowed to perform his constitutional role of taking charge until the President is strong enough to return to work. This is what decency requires. That is what the Constitution suggests. No proper organisation can afford to be at the mercy of one man; more especially when we all know that his medical problems are of a serious variety, requiring great care and intervention. Why contrive to play God and drive the man to death with worry and problems? For God's sake, can we get this basic appeal to humanity and civility right?

As Yar’Adua’s condition remains unknown, PDP, politicians, colleagues, map out strategies to take advantage

Written by Saharareporters, New York Sunday, 29 November 2009 21:22

Umaru Yar’Adua, the sickly Nigerian leader hospitalized in a Saudi hospital in Jeddah as a result of a heart ailment arising from complications of Churg Strauss Syndrome, is vehemently refusing to hand over to his vice, Goodluck Jonathan. Yar’Adua, who last week admitted to suffering from Acute Pericarditis, following years of refusing to talk about his health issues, is receiving treatment at the Jeddah hospital after he was hurriedly evacuated from Abuja last Monday night.

Saharareporters authoritatively reported that he was unconscious for several hours the following day, Tuesday, fueling a frenzy of rumors that he had already died.

Saharareporters spoke to several sources in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria today and no one could confirm his current condition. There are claims that he is “feeling better,” but no one could say with any certainty when he would return to Nigeria, or exactly what “feeling better” means.

Yar'adua suffers from Churg Strauss disease which has  progressed to his heart. Medical studies reveal that when CSS goes to the heart, the patient might experience fatigue, dyspnea (shortness of breath), chest pain, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, difficulty in breathing except when upright, swollen legs, appetite loss and fainting episodes. Some of these symptoms are related to pericarditis, which is inflammation of the sac-like covering of the heart, where others are related to congestive heart failure. Heart problems are a leading cause of death in Churg Strauss Syndrome.)

In Nigeria, several political forces are known to be at work already, trying to take advantage of Yar’Adua’s ill-health to locate themselves within possible power centers.

Yar’Adua most powerful political circle has so far refused to encourage him to give up power as result of his pathetic state of his condition.  Their strategy is to manoeuvre him back to power, even if it has to be in a vegetative state.  The same strategy was carefully employed to return him to control in Abuja late last year after he disappeared to Saudi Arabia for 17 days. Government officials and his aides insisted for the duration of that trip that Yar’Adua was attending “Hajj’.

But since returning from that trip to Saudi Arabia, Yar’Adua has barely managed to attend to state matters.  As his health deteriorated further, his doctors, some of them foreigners, resorted to pumping him up on anabolic steroids that sometimes left him disoriented and bloated in the face: the result of his kidneys becoming unable to process the waste arising from those heavy dose of strong steroids. In recent times, Yar’Adua has abruptly departed from State matters.  At the last ECOWAS meeting in Abuja, for instance, he had to be rushed to the ante room following a fainting spell. He was never able to partake in group photos with other ECOWAS leaders afterwards.

In another instance, Yar’Adua collapsed at a meeting where he was discussing oil block allocations with Rilwan Lukman, the Oil minister, his minister of state , Ajumogobia and NNPC officials. A source at the meeting said after Yar’Adua collapsed and was rushed to the Aso Rock clinic, First Lady Turai insisted that the meeting must continue.  But a miffed Lukman said he couldn’t be at a meeting presided over by Yar’Adua’s wife, and left the meeting. A few days later, Lukman was being posted aside: to Austria as Ambassador, while his minister of state, Ajumogobia, was being given responsibility for the ministry. Although he seemed to have survived that, Lukman was going to be fired on December 1st, had Yar’Adua not taken ill again.

For the past two and a half years, Yar’Adua’s health has been more important than state policy.  He increasingly relied on propaganda, not the truth, to give the impression he was in charge, with the help of government or compromised local media that reproduced reports claiming that he looked “refreshed” or “hale and hearty” even as his ministers and aides privately insisted that Yar’Adua did not pay attention to state matters.

Yar’Adua rarely attends to memos or hold one-on-one meetings with his ministers.  Before finally collapsing two Fridays ago, Yar’Adua had not made many public appearances. In September, he abruptly canceled his trip to the United Nations General Assembly and headed to Saudi Arabia instead, purportedly to open the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST).  Yar’Adua’s spin masters went to work by claiming that Yar’Adua’s inability to attend the UNGA was aimed at punishing Obama for skipping Nigeria during his first trip to Africa, as if the UN belongs to Obama. Each time his health failed in public, his aides and Nigeria’s compromised media was on hand to provide an excuse or an explanation. Last week, the level of deceit reach a serious level when both arms of the National Assembly engaged a fake war of words in order to save Yar’Adua an embarrassing public appearance that could have seen him collapse publicly for the first time. Soon after Yar’Adua left for his so-called medical check-up in Saudi Arabia, the National Assembly put aside their differences and welcomed his Special Assistants to submit an unprecedented four-page PowerPoint budget proposal to the NASS.  Investigations showed that the aides actually did not have the bulk of the budget proposal because the budget was not ready in the first place.

Following Yar’Adua’s admission, for the first time, of a life-threatening condition, the battle for the soul of Nigerian politics has now broken out in two cities on two continents: Jeddah and Abuja, with Abuja as the epicenter.

In Abuja, a group loyal to Yar’Adua, led by his Chief Economic Adviser, Tanimu Kurfi and Abba Ruma has sworn to frustrate any talk of handing over of power to Yar’adua’s vice, Goodluck Jonathan.  Even though Jonathan Goodluck claims publicly that everything is okay with him, people knowledgeable about his status told Saharareporters that the report in The Punch newspaper of November 28 that he is being threatened with forced resignation is completely truthful.

Meanwhile, a splinter segment of the pro-Yar’Adua group, led by James Ibori, has moved to Dubai.  Ibori has been operational there since Thursday, and his plan is to keep in close contact with Yar’Adua in Saudi Arabia and help coordinate the anti-Goodluck forces outside the shores of Nigeria. This group has also vowed to convince Yar’Adua not to hand over power. They calculate that Yar’Adua would be superficially healthy enough to return to Nigeria in December or early in 2010 without officially handing over to Goodluck Jonathan. Ibori, who seems to have been assured by someone in the current administration that he will never be convicted for any of his corruption and money-laundering cases, is eyeing the Vice Presidency in 2011, either under Yar’Adua or someone else from the north.

Late last night, the Abuja pro-Yar’Adua group sent an emissary directly to Jeddah to meet with Yar’Adua in the hospital. The group comprises three persons: Yar’Adua’s son-in-law, Isah Yuguda, businessman Aliko Dangote, and the governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki.  They arrived in Jeddah but our source said a face-to-face meeting had not taken place by the close of today. Isah Yuguda is being positioned to become Jonathan’s VP in case Yar’Adua resigns.

Another group of political manoeuvres is led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who discreetly moved to Abuja last night to start working quietly with Jonathan.  That group proposes that should Yar’Adua not make it back to power, Jonathan Goodluck should choose Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, as his deputy.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is also considering conducting their presidential primaries in June next year, a few months earlier than scheduled. It is now almost certain that Yar’Adua cannot be a candidate in the 2011 elections, but his supporters are hell-bent on propping him in place until the PDP can conduct its primaries in 2010.

Meanwhile, in Jeddah, Yar’Adua is surrounded by his immediate family, his daughters, wife as well as the governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema. Turai, it is known, is determined that her husband remain in office.

But the true state of his health remains shrouded in high secrecy following the leak in a local Saudi newspaper last week which forced his doctor and aides to partially reveal his immediate condition.  It did not escape Nigerians that the announcement did not reveal the full story about other conditions Yar’Adua is suffering from, or their possible consequences.