The much-touted good response to treatment by President Umaru Yar’Adua may not be the whole truth, after all. Vanguard says two major movements planned for the week were aborted because the President was said to be too weak to undertake either of them. First, there were plans to make him come back home to douse rising tension in the country over his health after which he would seize the opportunity to
apply for and start a proper vacation. This was designed for him to have a breather from public scrutiny and worry while he takes care of his health. However that was not to be.
Also, his doctors were said to have planned moving him either to the United States or Germany for further treatment. That also was not to be.
Meantime, unconfirmed reports said doctors have advised family members of the ailing President that he can no longer be exposed to the rigours of politics as he would require a close monitoring following his slow response to treatment.
Loyalists adopt wait-and-see attitude
This situation has left strategists in the President’s camp in a state of fix. For now, they are said to be adopting a ‘wait and see attitude.’
Since Friday, November 23, (17 days ago), when the President was flown to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the treatment of “Acute Pericarditis”, (an inflammatory condition of the coverings of the heart), as confirmed by his Personal Physician, Dr. Salisu Banye, there has been intensive apprehension in the country leading to a section of the populace calling on him to resign.
First on the list was the historic move by the group of 54 prominent Nigerians across professions and spanning the six geopolitical zones (G54) on November 30, asking the President to resign his office immediately or unconditionally hand over to the Vice-President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
Two days after the government took a swipe at the group, declaring that it was a joke taken too far as the President cannot resign under the present circumstance.
Also rising from a crucial session, which Vanguard learnt was dominated by the resignation saga, the Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Wednesday resolved that the President remains fit enough and would not, therefore, initiate the process of easing him out of office through the National Assembly; declaring that it would ignore the calls since it has not found the President incapable of performing his duties.