Politics  
BATTLE OF WHO WILL SUCCEED IN SEEING THE NIGERIAN PRESIDENT FIRST
Chika Onyeani, FEB. 17, 2010

Left, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua of Nigeria in 2007, and now

A comedy has developed in Nigeria as to who would be allowed to see Nigeria's very sick President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, who has been in a Saudi Arabia hospital, since November 25, 2009.  His earlier and continued refusal to transmit a letter of his medical leave to the Nigerian National Assembly (House and Senate) had created a constitutional crisis until last week when the Assembly decided to pass a bill mandating Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President.

First, the National Assembly decided last two weeks ago to send a delegation to ascertain the health of Yar'Adua.  They got to Jeddah, but was told that King Faisal of Saudi Arabia had denied them access to visit their ailing president.  In other words, it was the Saudi Monarch who is now dictating to Nigerians who would be seeing their President. The delegation crawled badk to the Nigeria.  They are yet to report.

As if this humiliation was not enough, the political that elected Yar'Adua to office, decided they could do better, after all they put him in office.  The party sent its own delegation, led by the chairman of the party, Chief Ogbulafor, and they were also humiliated by refusal to see the President, which has led Nigerians to begin to speculate whether their President is really still alive.

Now, the Federal Executive Council, which is charged with determining, according to the Nigerian constitution whether Yar'Adua is still fit for office or not, an action they have continued to postpone taking, has now decided to send its own delegation. 

So, the question is who will win the battle of being granted access to see the President: the legislators, the political party delegation, or the cabinet ministers?  It will be a big bragging right for the winner.  After all, Yar'Adua couldn't have considered all the others important, or the Saudi King, otherwise he would have allowed them to see the President.

Oh, did I forget that three northern Governors had also flown to Jeddah, but were also turned back.  Mind you, Umaru Yar'Adua was one of these governors before he became President.  You would have thought he would accord them a gubertorial courtesy?

The question really is:

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua Dead or Alive?

If he is alive, why this cloack of secrecy about not allowing the people who elected him to see him?  If he has chosen the Saudi King to be his father figure or his God/Allah to guard him, then the decent thing to do is for him to resign as President of Nigeria, and live permanently in Saudi Arabia.