Pressure Mounts On Ailing President Yar’Adua To Resign

San Francisco (THEWILL) - The call for the resignation of Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua peaked Tuesday as some distinguished Nigerians including former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former Speaker of the House Aminu Masari, Professor Itse Sagay and fifty two others joined forces in a press statement made available to the media.

The statement emphatically called on the President to resign and transfer power to the Vice President in the interest of the nation as his recurrent ailments have shown that he is unable to effectively run the affairs of the state.

See text of the Press Release below:

PRESIDENT YA'ADUA'S HEALTH CONDITION AND THE STATE OF THE NATION

It is clear to every discerning observer that President Umaru Yar'Adua's physical condition has had a negative impact on his ability to discharge the functions of the highest office in our nation.

Within the last few months, he has been unable to attend to crucial affairs of the State at home and abroad and whenever he has found time to do so, his judgment appears impaired by his ill-health. 

 

A few examples may suffice: 
 

i.      His health condition has necessitated several medical trips abroad but he has not transmitted to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a written declaration that he was proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office as required by Section 145 of the Constitution. 

 

ii.      President Yar'Adua though invited was unable to attend the United Nations General Assembly for which a private audience had been arranged between him and President Obama for high level discussions of issues mutually beneficial to Nigeria and the United States because he was in Saudi Arabia to 'open a university' which was a dummy sold to cover up his treatments.

iii.     It is also common knowledge that the incapacity of the president has affected the implementation of the nation’s budget because he has been unable to coordinate the management of the national economy and to preside over the Federal Executive Council in a diligent manner.

iv.     In the circumstance, Ministers have routinely flouted the orders of the President and engaged in infighting as a direct result in the vacuum of leadership. This was recently embarrassingly exposed to the world with the series of conflicting public statements credited to the Attorney General and the Chairperson of the EFCC. This was also exposed further when the president disavowed knowledge of a memo to all foreign missions purportedly on his instructions. Furthermore, till date, ministers continue to flout the public instruction of the president that ministers who presented memos at the FEC should stay behind to brief the media.

v.     You may also recall that a battery of doctors complete with their paraphernalia escorted the president to the National Assembly last year to stand by as he delivered the budget and you may also recall that some pundits have revealed that the crisis between the Senate and the house on who should host the budget delivery by the president was contrived to provide an escape for the president who was reportedly physically unable to perform this formal task.

vi.     Finally, the current condition of the president has created a dangerous situation whereby no one is in charge of the affairs of the State contrary to the letter and spirit of the Constitution. 

As responsible and concerned individuals from every part of Nigeria, we call on President Umaru Yar'Adua to immediately choose the honorable option of either:

(a) Resigning his office immediately, or

(b) If he is confident of his true physical condition, request the Federal Executive Council to pass a resolution pursuant to Section 144 (1) of the Constitution to the effect that the President appears incapable of discharging the functions of his office.

This honorable step will enable the Senate President to appoint a Medical Panel to confirm the fitness or otherwise of the President to continue in office.

As President Yar'Adua's compatriots and part of his larger Nigerian family, we sympathize with him and believe that his health should be given priority attention. At the same time, the need to provide effective governance for this nation of over 150 million people cannot be compromised.

Indeed, the Constitution has rightly envisaged the situation in which the country has found itself.

In any event, we are of the view that the President should immediately and unconditionally hand over to the Vice-President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan to complete the current term of office, and conduct the next general elections on the basis of the report of the electoral reform committee headed by Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais.

Signed:

 1. Alhaji Balarabe Musa

 2. Chief Olu Falae

 3. Senator Ken Nnamani

 4. Alhaji Aminu Masari

 5. Lt. Gen. Alani Akinrinade (Rtd)

 6. Chief John Odigie Oyegun
 

 7. Dr. Tunji Braithwaite

 8. Col. Abubakar Umaru (Rtd)

 9. Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN)

 10. Alhaji Buba Galadima

 11. Hon. Olawale Oshun

 12. Dr. Usman Bugaje

 13. Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri

 14. Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai

 15. Mr. Femi Falana

 16. Mr. Yinka Odumakin

 17. Alhaji Sadiq Yar’Adua

 18. Hon. Adamu Farouk Aliyu

 19. Chief Jos Ayomike

 20. Hajia Naja’atu Muhammeed

 21. Dr (Mrs) Joe Okei-Odumakin

 22. Ms. Annkio Briggs

 23. Mrs. Jumoke Anifowose

 24. Chief Supo Shonibare

 25. Mr. Odia Ofeimun

 26. Hon. Lawal Garuba

 27. Mr. Biodun Sowunmi

 28. Hon (Dr) Ishaq Kurufi

 29. Hon. Uche Onyeagocha

 30. Hon. Bashir Idrs Nadabo

 31. Mr. Kayode Ogundamisi

 32. Saint George Eke

 33. Mr. Bamidele Aturu

 34. Prof. Sola Adeyeye

 35. Mr. Osita Okechukwu

 36. Hon (Dr) Haruna Yerima 

 37. Mr. Anselem Odinkhalu

 38. Mr. Akintoye Branco-Rhodes

 39. Hon. (Dr) Almajiri Gaidam

 40. Alhaji Amitolu Shittu

 41. Mallam Uba Sani

 42. Barrister Supo Ojo

 43. Barrister Sani Hussaini Garun-Gabbas

 44. Mr. Festus Okoye

 45. Mallam Salihu Lukman

 46. Dr Sam Amadi

 47. Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni

 48. Alhaji Kabir Yahaya

 49. Hon. Awwal Tukur

 50. Mallam Tanko Yinusa

 51. Mallam Nasir Kura

 52. Dr. Pat Utomi

 53. Mr. Iboroma Akpana

 54. Mr. Morakinyo Ogele

 55. Achike Chude