Nigeria: The Political Crisis of an Ailing President
Chronology of Events
|
| DAY |
DATE |
EVENT |
| 1 |
November 23, 2009 |
President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua leaves Nigeria for what was described as a
"medical vacation and to do the Muslim lesser hajj" in Saudi Arabia. After several days without their president,
Nigerians begin to ask questions. |
|
3 |
November 25 |
Yar’ Adua’s condition is reported to have worsened; rumors spread in Nigeria that the president has slipped into a coma. |
|
4 |
November 26 |
To dispel the rumors, presidential spokesman, Segun Adeniyi, discloses the real nature of the president’s illness: acute pericarditis – an inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart. |
| 5 |
November 27
As reported in ThisDay Nov. 28, pp 1 & 6 |
Vice President Goodluck Jonathan reassures Nigerians that he
twice spoke with the ailing Yar’ Adua on the 26th and in the morning of the 27th of November.
The VP tells the nation that the president is receiving
treatment in Saudi Arabia at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital
and Research Centre, Jeddah. |
| 7 |
November 29
(As reported in the Punch, Nov. 30 p. 9) |
Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) national chairman, Balarabe Musa, calls on Yar’ Adua to resign. He also calls on National Assembly to set up a board of enquiry to determine the president’s ability to continue in office. Says constitutional measures are necessary to deal with the situation. |
| |
|
Action Congress (AC) party – National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed – alleges that Yar’ Adua’s people are putting pressure on VP Jonathan to resign |
| 8 |
November 30
(As reported in the Sun, Dec. 1, 2009) |
Senate president, David Mark, says: “… the organs of government remain intact and functional,” and declares special 9-day Catholic prayers for Yar’ Adua’s recovery. |
| |
|
Rufai Alkali, National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP),
denies allegations by the AC party that elements within PDP were pushing for VP Jonathan to resign. |
| 9 |
December 1
(ThisDay) |
Buba Galadima of the ANPP calls for National Assembly to declare the president’s seat vacant.
The PDP responds with details of constitutional procedure (Section 144) for removing the president. |
| 10 |
December 2 |
FEC decides, without benefit of a medical report, that Yar’ Adua is fit to continue in office. |
| |
As reported in the Punch Dec. 2 P. 2 |
Over 50 prominent Nigerians under the aegis, “Concerned Nigerians” urge Yar’ Adua to resign. |
| 24 |
December 16 |
Dora Akunyili, Information & Communications Minister emerges from FEC meeting to tell reporters that Yar’ Adua is responding well to treatment in Saudi Arabian hospital. |
| 29 |
December 21
(In National Life Dec. 26, P. 5) |
Militant leader, Ateke Tom, with Amalgamation of Niger Delta Youths for Peace, demand Jonathan be sworn-in as president before January 4, 2010 or else they’ll return to the trenches. |
| 31 |
December 23 |
Attorney General & Justice Minister, Michael Aondoakaa writes to VP Jonathan telling him that he is already empowered by Section 5 of Constitution to act for the president. The AGF claims section 5 over-rides section 145 which requires the president to transmit a letter first before the VP can be empowered to act. |
| 38 |
December 30 |
Out-going CJ, Idris Kutigi administers oat of officer to his successor, Katsina-Alu. This is a first in Nigerian history. This ends the furor over whether the new CJ will be able to take office on time. Femi Falana, president of the West African Bar Association calls the swearing-in an illegality. |
| 50 |
January 11, 2010 |
Foreign media outfit, American Chronicles, publishes a report on its website that President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua is dead and that he died on December 10, 2009. |
| 51 |
January 12 |
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa Service broadcasts a radio interview purportedly conducted with Yar’ Adua on January 12. The interview is via the telephone. |
| |
|
A mammoth rally by civil society groups led by the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) is held in Abuja. |
| 52 |
January 13 |
An Abuja high court rules that VP Jonathan needed no further authority to begin acting as president. Some Senators calls the ruling “Kangaroo judgment” |
| |
|
The National Democratic Movement, led by Mohamadu Buhari and including Atiku Abubakar visit the Senate to urge a delegation to Saudi Arabia to ascertain the state of things with Yar’ Adua to know the next step to be taken. |
| 53 |
January 14
(in Vanguard Jan. 16, p. 5) |
A group of 43 senators, responding to the “kangaroo judgment” begin to gather signatures for a motion urging Yar’ Adua to hand over to Jonathan. The 43 plan to shut-down the Senate with protests should the motion fail. |
| 54 |
January 15 |
Wole Soyinka calls for mass civil disobedience to force government and politicians to do the right thing. |
| 60 |
January 21 |
The SNG organizes a mammoth “enough is enough” rally in Lagos to protest the continued absence of the president and the problems it is causing. |
| |
|
Members in the House of Representatives begin gathering signatures for a possible impeachment of President Yar’ Adua. |
| 61 |
January 22
(In Sunday Vanguard Jan., 24 Pp. 1, 5 |
Justice Dan Abutu of the Federal High Court Abuja rules, in a suit filed by Rep. Farouk Adamu Aliyu and Hussaini Gabbas, that the FEC has 14 days to decide whether Yar’ Adua’s continued absence constitutes permanent incapacity. Abutu also declared invalid the FEC decision on Dec 2 that Yar’ Adua was fit to continue in office. The FEC had failed to comply with section 144 (1) in reaching their decision. |
| 64 |
January 25
(In the Sun Jan. 26 p. 6) |
Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu, blames the PDP for resistance in making Jonathan acting president. Aliyu is a PDP member and chair of the Northern Governors’ Forum. This position is a shift away from the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, which supports Yar’ Adua continuing in office. |
| 73 |
February 3 |
Information Minister, Dora Akunyili, raises a memo in the FEC meeting for the ministers to write to Yar’ Adua urging him to write the National Assembly with assent for VP Jonathan to become Acting President. |
| 76 |
February 6 |
Tanko Yakassai, a founding member, quits the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in protest of stance supporting VP for acting pres. He argues that the support was contrary to ACF objective of promoting northern interest. |
| 79 |
February 9 |
National Assembly adopts resolution making VP Goodluck Jonathan Acting-President of Nigeria |
| 82 |
February 12 |
PDP delegation led by National Chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, spends over six days in Jeddah but fail to see the President. |
| 84 |
February 14 |
Soyinka-led Save Nigeria Group (SNG) asks Federal Executive Council to, within 10 days, declare President Yar’Adua incapacitated |
| |
|
National Interest Group (NIG) Senators, champions of Goodluck Jonathan's emergence as Acting President, seek to make him substantive president. |
| 87 |
February 17 |
FEC raises a six-man team to visit and ascertain Yar’ Adua state of health. The group includes the minister of health, foreign affairs, secretary to the government. |
| |
|
Orubebe, an FEC member from Niger Delta, accuses Yar’ Adua loyalists in cabinet of plot to destabilize Acting president. |
| 89 |
February 19 |
Yar’Adua supporters push for early PDP presidential primaries in June. They want another Northerner as PDP presidential candidate for 2011. |
| 90 |
February 20 |
PDP northwest meet in Kaduna and insist on producing the party’s presidential candidate for 2011 |
| |
|
First lady, Turai, and Yar’ Adua loyalists meet in Jeddah to plan counter to Acting Pres. Jonathan. Options: (1) Start negative press on Jonathan. (2) Fly Yar’ Adua home to destabilize Jonathan |
| 92 |
February 22 |
Six-man FEC team leave for Saudi Arabia |
| |
|
Aminchi, ambassador to Saudi Arabia, tells journalists he saw Yar’ Adua and the president’s health is improving. |
| 93 |
February 23 |
FEC Ministerial delegation fail to see Yar’ Adua; meet with Saudi foreign minister and submit Acting President Jonathan's letter to the Saudi king, Abdullah Bin AbdulAziz. Immediately after meeting with the Saudi Foreign minister, ambassador Aminchi informs them that Yar’ Adua was on his way back to Nigeria. The delegation left for Nigeria very early the next morning. The delegation was led by Sec. to Fed. Gov., Yayale Ahmed. Yar’ Adua's departure is set at about 10pm Saudi time |
| 94 |
February 24 |
Yar’ Adua's secret arrival in Abuja in the middle of the night under tight security, takes everyone, including the cabinet and National Assembly, totaly by surprise. |
| |
March 1 |
Speaking in Minna, the State capital, Babangida Aliyu, Niger State governor and chair of Northern Governors’ Forum, accuses the Yar' Adua cabal of using public funds to pursue actions inimical to Nigeria
(referring to the secret return of Yar' Adua without government
knowing). He urges Nigerians to call the cabal to order. |
| |
|
Jonathan sets up Federal Projects Assessment Committee to look into awards of federal contracts and their implementation. |
| |
|
Jonathan sets up Presidential Advisory Council headed by Theophilus Danjuma, former Army Chief of Staff and Defence Minister. |
| |
|
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) urges Jonathan to sack cabal members involved in smuggling the president back into the country. “We are not oblivious to the desperation of certain elements that have turned the country into their personal estates. The brazen manner in which these people engage in treasonable acts portends great danger…” |
| |
March 2 |
House of Reps decline to take impeachment action against Yar’ Adua |
| |
March 3 |
Federal Executive Council receives report of six-man delegation to Saudi Arabia to see Yar’ Adua (Feb. 23) |
| |
|
In an interview on Al Jazeera, self-described first cousin and family spokesman, Zubaru Ali said he has met with the ailing President and that the President can walk, talk, eat and was even asking after family members. |
| |
March 17 |
Acting President Goodluck Jonathan dissolves cabinet |
| |
March 26 |
Yar’Adua supporters announce that the president will attend Friday Jumat service at the National Mosque. They drive through Abuja with empty presidential motorcade, causing some furor. When Yar’ Adua does not show at the mosque, worshippers and Nigerians are disappointed. |
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