Nigeria: Pressure grows for missing president to resign

"Nigerians are very worried and confused about the risk created by a serious power vacuum," said Archbishop Ignatius A. Kaigama of Jos (Nigeria), where there are growing pressures on President Umaru Yar'Adua to resign or transfer his powers to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan. The Head of State has been hospitalized in Saudi Arabia since last November and does not seem capable of performing his duties at a sensitive time in the political life of Nigeria.

The ethnic clashes in Jos and the announcement of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to suspend the cease-fire in southern Nigeria, are events that require a secure and solid direction of the country. For this reason, appeals are being made by various organizations and personalities in Nigeria asking that Yar'Adua implement the Constitutional measures enumerated in case of absence or disability of the President.

On February 3, 17 major newspapers and media in Nigeria launched an appeal for Yar'Adua to either resign or transfer powers to his deputy within seven days. If Yar'Adua does not comply, it would be necessary to initiate impeachment proceedings in Parliament.

"Conferring full powers to the Vice-President does not imply that once recovered from his illness, the President cannot return to rule the country," says Archbishop Kaigama. "This is only a temporary measure, as Nigeria urgently needs a strong political leadership in facing the problems that are emerging. We must reduce the rising tension in the country, giving full presidential powers to Vice-President Jonathan, who otherwise cannot implement all the measures necessary to ensure peace."

"Here is an example,” says Archbishop Kaigama. “When we gathered in the Presidential Villa to discuss the situation in Jos, the Vice-President was not playing the role of the President, because he has not been conferred the ad interim powers of the Head of State. As Vice-President, he has limited powers."

As for Jos, Archbishop Kaigama says that "the situation is improving day by day. A delegation of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has come to express the solidarity of all Christians in Nigeria to the population that suffers from the fighting."

In southern Nigeria, last October the MEND declared a truce and accepted the amnesty offered by President Yar'Adua. The rebels claim that the absence of the President has hampered the application of the amnesty and that they now threaten to resume hostilities.