Yar’Adua’s vacation, threat to democracy

The Action Congress, on Sunday, said the failure by President Umaru Yar‘Adua to adhere to the constitutional provision over his vacation had created a void that could threaten the country‘s democracy.

The AC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the unfortunate power game in the Presidency, resulting from the vacation saga, had created an atmosphere of instability.

It added that the development was an impression of a government whose actions were out of purpose.

The party also said that it was difficult for Nigerians to determine who was really in charge of the country at the moment, a development which the party described as ‘dangerous‘.

The AC said, ”The President is on vacation. The Senate President said the Vice-President is not recognised as acting President because Yar‘Adua did not adhere to the constitutional provision to send a written declaration to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives before going on vacation.

”Also, the President‘s men said he remains in charge, even though he is on vacation - a contradiction of the statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, that the VP would carry out the President‘s duties while he is away.

”To further confuse issues, some apologists - who are more interested in keeping their honey ducts flowing than in the survival of Nigeria‘s democracy - have jumped into the fray, playing on semantics to push their dubious and self-serving stand that the President is in charge every minute of his four-year tenure, even if he becomes incapacitated for whatever reason.‘‘

The party wondered why an issue of the President‘s vacation, which could have been treated as a routine matter, would generate so much fuss, at a time the country should concentrate its energy on seeking ways of alleviating the sufferings brought on Nigerians by the global economic meltdown and the absence of good governance.

The AC said the SGF was competent enough to make pronouncements on behalf of the government, but wondered what message the Yar‘Adua administration was sending to the world when the SGF was wilfully contradicted on the issue of the President‘s vacation.

It said, ”If the statement by the SGF is anything to go by, which we believe it should be, then all the actions of President Yar‘Adua while he remains on vacation are null and void and of no effect whatsoever.

”But so will be the actions of the VP as his acting presidency is not recognised, due to the failure to follow the Constitution. That creates a void that does not augur well for a country like ours.‘‘

The party reiterated its earlier call on President Yar‘Adua to take immediate steps to lower the heat that had been generated in the polity by complying with the letter and spirit of the Constitution that he swore to protect and uphold.

”Such action will not be a sign of weakness on the part of the President, but an indication of good leadership, a leader who puts the interest of his country above his own, or that of anybody at all.”

Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr. Patrick Ugbe, has said that the state was not aware of the details of Yar’Adua’s visit to the Obudu Cattle Ranch.

He said, “We don’t have details of when the President will arrive. We know that Obudu Cattle Ranch is one of the places he is expected to spend his vacation but I am not aware of the time the President will visit the state.”