Rumor or fact?
This kind of news suggests that perhaps a backroom deal has been made by the proverbial big men. It's taken weeks. It might also be that this is a rumor built on wishful thinking. It was widely reported in Nigeria on Friday, and now the BBC reports on Saturday. It also might suggest that the Nigerian president is in worse health than his cabinet has maintained until now.Sick Nigeria President Yar'Adua 'to hand over power'
Nigeria's ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua will write a letter handing power over to his vice-president, his adviser has told the BBC.
The letter, formally informing the Senate that Mr Yar'Adua is on "medical vacation", automatically means his deputy becomes acting president.
The president's allies have previously resisted calls for him to step aside…
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says Nigeria's political struggle over the president's fitness to rule may be nearing an endgame.
The president's special adviser on legislative affairs, Abba Aji, did not say when Mr Yar'Adua would write the letter but he said there would be no "undue delay"…
Political tensions have been high - government business has stalled and legislation been frozen and cracks have appeared in the uneasy peace in the oil-producing Niger Delta.
Earlier this week, the first signs of a split emerged in Nigeria's cabinet, when Information Minister Dora Akunyili urged her colleagues to admit that the president was no longer fit to govern…
Nigeria's split between the mainly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south has complicated the issue, analysts say.
Northern power-brokers may be reluctant to see Mr Yar'Adua, a northerner, hand over power to Vice-President Jonathan, from the south, before the next scheduled presidential elections in 2011.
Since the return to civilian rule, power has usually rotated between the regions.
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Labels: cleavages, leadership, Nigeria, politics
posted by Ken Wedding @ 8:22 AM
2 Comments:
There's a good summary and references at the "Nigerian Curiosity" blog.
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