Meanwhile, the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) has deplored the way President Yar’Adua was brought into the country.
The SNG condemned the secrecy that surrounded the president’s arrival and the alleged hounding of airport workers by armed soldiers.
“It is more curious that soldiers were deployed in the airport without the knowledge of the Acting President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, who was also not on hand to receive him.”
The group said when all was added up, it was clear that there was a sinister plot behind bringing a man, who should be having his health attended to, into the country, and that was evident in the fact that the Executive Council of the Federation was yet to commence its weekly meeting at the time this statement was issued.
“It has also been brought to our attention that a statement has been issued by Yar’Adua’s spokesperson, Mr. Segun Adeniyi, to the effect that he has been discharged by his doctors and that the Acting President, Dr. Jonathan, should act for him while he recuperates. Was it a slip that Adeniyi referred to Dr. Jonathan as “Vice-President” and not Acting President?” SNG queried.
It noted that it was clear and unacceptable and a further confirmation that Yar’Adua and his handlers saw Nigeria as their supermarket, which explained why he did not hand over in the first place while travelling out on medical trip, and the constitution did not confirm on him the right to verbally decide how Nigeria should be run.
According to it, “Nigerians need to see the man who is making this statement. He must address the joint sitting of the National Assembly, even if it’s only for five minutes, which shall transmit power back to him before he can begin to function as president again. In the alternative, he should address the nation on NTA and AIT to explain to the nation why he failed to respect the constitution in the last 93 days.”
SNG noted that if President Yar’Adua did not do any of the above, it would mean that he was totally incapacitated and his coming home would not have changed anything.
“Our quarrel with him was not the location where he was but the fact that we are not sure that his body and mind can support the functions of his office. This has been confirmed by the fact that it took one hour twenty five minutes to dislodge him from the air ambulance into the Ford Intensive Care Unit ambulance and another one hour ten minutes to take him from the airport to the secretariat junction in Abuja where he proceeded to the Villa. All these point to permanent incapacitation,” SNG stated.
The group insisted that the process of empanelling a medical board as stipulated in Section 144 must proceed forthwith. “And the Executive Council of the Federation has its job cut out for it, as they now have no excuse to fall on anymore. There is no need for any jamboree as Yar’Adua is now within the shores of Nigeria,” SNG said.
It called for a conclusive resolution of the crisis so that Nigeria could avoid a political disaster. “We remain resolutely committed to the logical closure of this matter and we stick to our March 3, deadline,” the group said.
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