Ogbulafor, Assembly Leaders, Kitchen Cabinet In Secret Meeting

SENDS MESSAGE TO YAR’ADUA TO WRITE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

San Francisco Jan 29, (THEWILL) – The pressure mounted on President Musa Yar’Adua to write the National Assembly so that the Vice President can become acting president prompted an emergency meeting on Friday at the Asokoro residence of PDP Chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor.

The resolution passed by the Senate, the call by former heads of state on the ailing president to write the National Assembly, and the threat by more than 200 members of the House of Representatives to begin impeachment proceedings against the President if he disregards the resolution were the main issues discussed.

Those at the parley were Senate President, David Mark; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; House Speaker, Dimeji Bankole; Attorney General, Michael Aondoakaa and two members of the President’s kitchen cabinet, Agriculture Minister, Abba Ruma and Economic Adviser, Tanimu Yakubu.

A source familiar with the meeting said Senate President Mark told his listeners that his hands where tied because of the pressure put on him by an over whelming majority in the Senate who would rather have the President transmit a letter on his long absence than maintain the status quo. He alerted his listeners of the consequences of disregarding their resolution. More than 80 senators backed the resolution. There are 109 senators in the Senate

In his speech, Bankole told the meeting that he was running out of time as the pressure on him from pro-Constitution representatives was increasing by the day. At the last check, there were over 200 members of the House who have signed on to impeach the President if he ignores the Senate request to transmit the letter.

The speaker also hinted on how his leadership has employed bureaucracy to stall the trip of six legislators to Saudi Arabia.

At the end of deliberations it was agreed that the President should send a letter to the National Assembly and the members of his kitchen cabinet should convey their decision to his handlers in Jeddah.

The President has been a patient at the King Faisal hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for more than 60 days because of heart and kidney conditions.