Senators Grill SGF, May Give President Ultimatum Next Tuesday

PHOTO: SGF, YAYALE AHMED. PHOTO: NAN.

San Francisco Jan 21, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Yayale Ahmed was grilled for about an hour and a half in a closed door session on the Senate floor on the absence of President Umaru Yar’Adua and his failure to write the National Assembly.

The SGF told senators that the last time he saw the President was on November 20, 2009 and could not give details about his health but affirmed that the President gave a verbal directive to the Vice President to take charge of Presidential duties before he was taken abroad for treatment.

A source at the session said that when he was asked why the President did not send a letter to the National Assembly he blamed the President’s Adviser and Liaison on National Assembly matters, Mr. Mohammed Abba-Aji for failing to deliver an earlier letter which was duly signed by the President when he went on a medical leave in 2009. He urged the senators to question Abba-Aji for setting the precedent.

"When the President was to proceed on leave in2009, I drafted a letter that was vetted by the Attorney General of the Federation and signed by the President, but the presidential liaison officer refused to deliver it.

"If the National Assembly has problems getting the letter, they should find out from the liaison officer," our source quoted him as saying.

Continuing, Yayale said he could not tell when the President will return to the country and urged the senators to work with the Federal Executive Council to find a solution to the crisis created by the President’s failure to write the National Assembly.

Some senators were said to have demanded to see a video clip of the President to ascertain if he was really improving as claimed by the Presidency but the SGF did not give a firm answer to their demand.

Senators also wanted to know why the Vice President couldn’t be acting President knowing that the President somehow signed the 2009 Supplementary Budget and wondering why the same measure was not adopted to get a letter to the National Assembly so that the Vice President could step in to fill the gap. Yayale did not answer that question but urged the senators to find a political solution with the FEC on the matter.

Our source said that some senators who were apparently miffed by the whole episode moved to give the President an ultimatum to either write the National Assembly or return to duties but Senate President, Mr. David Mark stepped in urging the members to wait till Tuesday when a report on the meeting between lawyer-senators and the Attorney General would be submitted.

A group of senators we understand may have collected more than 70 signatures to force the Senate to debate the President’s long absence from office and compel him to write the N/A.