Yar’Adua: Senate ready with motion to empower VP •FEC meeting on Wednesday ’ll be dramatic - Ministers •Why NASS, PDP officials fear Jonathan •Aondoak

ALL appears set for the transfer of power to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan in acting capacity this week, as indications have emerged that the Senate plans

to pass a motion tomorrow to empower the vice-president as acting president.

Sources in the Senate told the Nigerian Tribune that the leadership of the upper chamber appeared to have accepted the position of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), which advised the lawmakers to pass a resolution empowering the vice-president as acting president.

A delegation of the NGF had met with the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives after the forum’s meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

It was gathered that the Senate leadership had concluded on the motion to facilitate the transfer of power to the vice-president.

According to sources, the lawmakers had resolved that since the 1999 Constitution did not envisage a situation where a president would be sick to the extent that he could not transmit a letter to the National Assembly in line with section 145, the Senate had to practically empower the vice-president through a motion, which is one of the instruments by which it exercises legislative powers.

A source said that the lawmakers had decided to rely on the interview granted to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) by the president as an evidence of his temporary incapacitation and a clear indication that he was not in a position to transmit the required letter.

Flowing from that, the lawmakers are to pass a resolution that since the president had stated that he was temporarily incapacitated by his health condition, the vice-president should assume his duties as acting president, pending the return of the president.

The motion, it was gathered, would ensure that the leadership truncates the impeachment motion being planned by members of the National Interest Group(NIG), the group that facilitated the passage of the motion calling on President Yar’Adua to transmit a letter of vacation to the National Assembly on January 27.

It was learnt that the NIG had concluded that the silence from the president’s camp since the passage of that motion could be taken to mean a rejection of the motion, and then an affront to the powers of the legislature, which would warrant impeachment moves.

Expect drama at Wednesday’s FEC-Ministers
Meanwhile, Sources on Sunday revealed that the crack in the Federal Executive council (FEC) has widened following the submission of the memo calling on President Yar’Adua to step down by the Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili.

Some ministers told the Nigerian Tribune to expect a dramatic turn on Wednesday, as many of them are now resolved to back the memo submitted by the Information Minister.
It was also gathered that the ministers were preparing the ground for them to be briefed on a weekly basis on the state of the president’s health henceforth.

“It is bad enough that no minister has heard from or about the president in the last 77 days. That should not continue,” one of the sources said.

One of those who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune said the FEC meeting of Wednesday would be decisive.

It was gathered that some young professionals in the cabinet were unhappy with the label of power hungry men being placed on them by Nigerians.

“We are set to debate, boldly and frankly, the state of the president’s health and we are battle-ready for the discussion on the president’s future,” said a source on Sunday.

Another source added that the ministers had tried to be patient and understanding, but “stupidly loyal” so far by considering the sensitivities and sensibilities of the Nigerian nation but many of the ministers were determined to “resolve or dissolve” on February 10.

“They (the ministers) will insist that power be handed over to the vice-president to stem the tide of polarisation and drift in the country.

“A good number of the ministers have grouped themselves together and they have resolved to fully support the memo by the Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Akunyili, and the call by the NGF that power should be transferred to Vice-President Jonathan,” another source said.

One of the ministers insisted, on Sunday, that the reputation of many of them was at stake and they would not be doing the integrity of President Yar’Adua any good if they portrayed him as someone who was ready to cling to power at all cost.

“We are concerned that our hard-earned reputation, character, ethical standing and moral uprightness are being questioned by this conspiracy of silence. This Wednesday will mark the beginning of the real drama to save our beloved country,” the source said.

Another source said while Professor Akunyili’s memo was being seen by some as self-serving, they had, nevertheless, resolved to back the memo in the interest of Nigeria.

He further said the ministers had delayed action so far, not because they wanted to cling to their posts but as a mark of respect for the leadership of the PDP and the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT).

Another source said at Wednesday’s FEC sitting, each member would stand up to his or her conscience and everyone would contribute accordingly.

“It is not a group thing anymore,” a source said, adding that those pushing for the transfer of power in the council cut across tribal and religious affiliations.

Aondoakaa Moves against FEC members
Just as a group of ministers are warming up for a stormy session on Wednesday, sources have disclosed that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Mike Aondoakaa, is perfecting strategies to stall the debate of the memo submitted by Akunyili.

It was gathered that the AGF had compiled all cases relating to the president’s health and had resolved to argue that the matter was subjudice and that it would be wrong for the FEC to debate the issue.

Another source, however, said the pro-constitution ministers were preparing for the showdown and were also compiling arguments to counter the legalistic excuse.

Why N/Assembly, PDP officials fear Jonathan
More facts also emerged, at the weekend, that the fear of a revised zoning formula among some top officials of the National Assembly and the leadership of the PDP had, so far, informed their opposition to the emergence of Vice-President Jonathan as acting president.

Sources said this category of politicians was of the view that there was only a thin line between the acting presidency and the full presidency and that if Jonathan eventually emerged, the party would immediately reverse the current zoning arrangement.

“If a southerner eventually emerges as the president, especially if it becomes apparent that President Yar’Adua can no longer continue in office, the zoning arrangements have to be reworked as far as some positions are concerned,” the sources said.

The position of the national chairman of the PDP, which for now is occupied by the South, may move to the North, while the North would have to choose between the position of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The zoning arrangement would also affect leadership positions in the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the distribution of positions in the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP.

Why northern politicians don’t support VP
It further emerged, at the weekend, that some northern politicians were afraid of a Jonathan presidency because of four reasons.

One of the reasons is that the man does not owe anyone a political “I Owe You (IOU).”

A source described political IOU as any sort of commitment that would precede his emergence. It was stated that since his emergence would rely solely on fate, the North might not get any string with which to pull him if he emerged.

Another fear is that the vice-president is not a rich man, who has interests to protect anywhere.

A source summed up the four reasons thus: “Since he does not have political IOU, it is difficult to hold him down and because he is not a rich man, he may not be interested in cutting deals here and there to the extent that he can just go in there and perform and if that is the case, he would have defeated the North/South dichotomy thing.

“Nigerians can then start clamouring for us to jettison the dichotomy issue in favour of performance.”

A source said the only option left for the North if the vice-president ever emerged the president because of the state of health of President Yar’Adua was to reach out to him and extract some political IOU from him.

State Assembly Speakers back Jonathan
Meanwhile, the Conference of Speakers of Houses of Assembly in Nigeria has lent its voice to the call that the vice-president be officially recognised as the acting president, pending the return and resumption of President Yar’Adua.

The vice-president of the conference (South West), Honourable Adejare Bello, disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Osogbo, Osun State, on the outcome of the recent meeting of speakers held in Abuja.

Bello said the conference considered many factors, including guarding against official vacuum in the presidency.

According to him, the recent meeting, which was presided over by the chairman of the conference, Honourable Istifanus Gbana, felt that it was in the interest of the corporate image of Nigeria that Vice-President Jonathan be officially recognised as acting president.

Govs to meet Bankole, Mark
Also, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum is set to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly before the middle of this week.

According to the Nigerian Tribune findings, the purpose of the visit was to impress it on both the Senate and House of Representatives leadership and members to commence a process that would lead to the swearing in of Vice-President Jonathan as acting president, pending the time President Yar’ Adua would be fit to return to the country.

The chairman of the forum, Dr Bukola Saraki, who is also the governor of Kwara State, had led his colleagues to a closed door session with the vice-president at the Villa, last week, at the end of which he told newsmen covering the State House that the forum had resolved to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly on Yar’ Adua.

According to him, the forum would meet both the Senate President, David Mark and Speaker, House of Representatives, ‘Dimeji Bankole and urge them to commence a process of transferring powers to Jonathan as acting president, pending the return of President Yar’Adua.

The forum’s decision, the Nigerian Tribune gathered, was as a result of the parley it had in Abuja, last week, while reviewing the current political situation in the light of court’s pronouncements on Yar’ Adua with a view to charting the way forward.

76 days without Yar’Adua If I die I die •Akunyili opens up on Yar’Adua memo

When Information and Communications Minister, Prof Dora Akunyili, presented her memorandum asking her colleagues to wake up to their responsibility to the Nigerian nation, tempers flared and voices were raised. Some of the ministers rose from their seats so their voices would carry in the chambers of the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF). Some rained insults on her. A few asked her if she had weighed the risks of her presenting such a position paper.

There were also threats of sack from those who felt Akunyili should not continue to stay in council after submitting such a strong-worded memo.
Sunday Sun findings showed that the memorandum took the ministers by surprise and if the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, had not had the presence of mind to ask for the copies already in the hands of the members, it would have been difficult to calm frayed nerves at the meeting.

There were 42 copies of the document with all of the members but when the ministers were told to return them, the SGF discovered that three copies were missing. It took another round of search and persuasion before the missing copies were retrieved.
According to one of the ministers sympathetic to Akunyili’s stand, “I salute Dora’s courage because it takes courage to look your boss in the eye and ask him to step down for his deputy. Many of us are also not comfortable with the way things have gone in the country these past two months, which is why we are supporting her.”

A source at the meeting also told Sunday Sun that the memo took the ministers by surprise.
“We all thought it was just another presentation from her ministry until she started reading. You should have seen the faces of some of the ministers. They shouted, hurled insults at her and some pointedly told her her days were numbered in the council. They asked her if she had weighed the risks of her action. It was really a hot session.

“The meeting ended formally around noon but when I sent one of my aides to the Villa around 4 o’clock later that day, he told me some of the rattled members were still cooped up in a meeting, trying to figure out their next line of action,” the source revealed.
After the meeting ended, ministers were seen standing in groups discussing the memo, most wearing frowns on their faces.
But another minister angrily told this reporter when asked if he thought Akunyili was sincere or grandstanding: “What does it matter now if she is grandstanding? She has boldly stood her ground. Let others also boldly step out and grandstand. All I know is that four Katsina boys cannot continue to hold this nation to ransom.”

Why I did not tell Jonathan - Akunyili
Getting Prof Akunyili to speak on why she seized the EXCOF by the jugular last Wednesday was like trying to squeeze water out of a stone. But after a lot of persuasion, the protagonist agreed to speak with Sunday Sun for a few minutes, with a promise to speak more elaborately on all the issues later.

What prompted the bombshell you dropped on the Executive Council of the Federation on Wednesday?
Let’s just say I got tired of the whole thing. It just got too much for my mind. I could no longer live with myself. I was not sleeping well. I was depressed. My husband thought it was malaria but I knew it was not. I went for tests and nothing was found. I simply knew I could not continue to live a lie. On Tuesday night, I could not sleep at all and I spent half the night praying. That was when I decided to do the memo. I wrote and typed it myself. I only told my Assistants and Special Adviser on Wednesday.

What was their reaction?
Naturally, they thought it was too loaded, too much. They wanted me to tone it down. They were worried about something happening to me but I was resolute. I told them ‘if I die, I die.’ I was not afraid. I know that God who protected me through all my battles in NAFDAC is still alive.

Did you tell the Vice President?
No, I did not tell the VP. I felt he would discourage me if I told him what I wanted to do. I did not tell anybody. It was just a burden I wanted to do something about. It was my burden, my decision. While I was praying on Tuesday night, I remembered one sermon given by one bishop. He said, all the time people were screaming ‘crucify him, crucify him’ at Jesus Christ, nobody spoke up for Jesus. If one person had had the courage to say ‘no, Jesus does not deserve to die,’ perhaps he would not have been crucified. Maybe if someone had mustered the courage to speak up for Jesus, the course of history would have changed. But no, everybody joined the multitude to do evil. Remembering that sermon was instructive. I had to stand even if I was standing alone.

Did you at any point in time try to reason with your colleagues in the cabinet, convince them to join your stand?
Oh yes, I did. About four weeks ago, I tried to talk to some ministers but I did not get any encouragement.

What was the reaction of the ministers when you presented that memo?
I’m sure you can imagine it. Everybody voiced his opinion. Tempers rose but I was not bothered. I am happy with myself. I feel good. I feel like a heavy load has been lifted off my chest. That night I slept well.

Now that you have submitted the memo at the council secretariat, what should we expect next?
I am hopeful that the letter transferring power to Dr Goodluck Jonathan would finally arrive so that the tension in the country can be doused. I also expect that when President Yar’Adua returns, he will take over. The VP cannot stop him from returning to his office. It is not possible. Let me also state clearly that nobody wants Mr President dead. No child of God will wish a fellow human being dead. I don’t want my boss to die. Only evil people want him to die. He will return. So all this tension in the country is unnecessary. We all know what is right and that is what we should do.

BREAKING NEWS: Obi Re-elected Anambra State Governor...(UPDATED)

The governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has been re-elected for another term of four years. The official results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that Obi, who ran on the ticket of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), won in 13 out of the 21 local government councils in the state.

He also fulfilled the 25 per cent spread required in two-thirds of the councils.

Dr. Chris Ngige of the Action Congress (AC) came second with four councils, while Professor Chukwuma Soludo (PDP) came third winning three councils.

Chief Andy Uba (Labour Party) won in one council while Uche Ekwunife (Peoples Progressive Alliance) did not win in any council.

The governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has been re-elected for another term of four years - taking him to the year 2014.
The official results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that Obi, who ran on the ticket of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), won in 13 out of the 21 local governments in the state.

He also fulfilled the 25 per cent spread required in two-thirds of the councils.

He polled 97,843 votes to defeat his closest rival, Dr Chris Ngige of the Action Congress (AC), who came second with 60,240 votes, while Professor Chukwuma Soludo (PDP) came third with 59,355 votes.

Chief Andy Uba (Labour Party) won 26,106 votes while Uche Ekwunife (Peoples Progressive Alliance) did not win any council. Her total score of 9,595 votes is the sixth highest.

The election was generally said to be peaceful, free and fair, although many voters were disenfranchised following mix-ups in the voters' register.

There were also isolated incidents of attempts to snatch ballot boxes and intimidate voters.

Turai bars Yar’Adua’s Principal Secretary, top Northern Emirs from Saudi

Attempts by the Principal Secretary to the President, Mr. David Edevbie, to bring the Senate Resolution on transmission of a letter to the National to the attention of President Umaru Yar’Adua have hit a brick wall following an alleged shut out by the First Lady, Hajiya Turai.

Edevbie, who is presently stranded in Dubai , has been barred from coming to Saudi Arabia .

Also, the First Lady was said to have turned down offers by two prominent traditional rulers to see Yar’Adua.

Investigation showed that Edevbie has been stranded in Dubai in the last one week as he has not been cleared by members of Yar’Adua’s family to bring the Senate Resolution to the President.

The Senate had about one and half weeks ago passed a resolution that the President should transmit a letter to the National Assembly to pave the way for the inauguration of Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan as acting President.

Findings indicated that while Edevbie left Nigeria for Saudi on Tuesday, the two traditional rulers got in touch with the First Lady on Wednesday.

A reliable source said: "Since Edevbie left Nigeria , he has been stranded in Dubai as the First Lady and family have not cleared him to come and see the President. The Principal Secretary does not want to take the risk and be arrested by Saudi security agencies.

"We learnt that the First Lady sent a message that the Principal Secretary should tarry a while until there is a signal that he can enter Saudi Arabia .

"For the first time, Edevbie’s trip is taking a long time; it does not used to be like this. When he took the 2009 Supplementary Appropriation Bill to the President for assent, he had no problem gaining access to Saudi Arabia ."

As for the traditional rulers, the source said the First Lady said they should not "bother to come to Saudi now."

He added: "What we heard was that the First Lady took the step because he does not want the President distracted from his recovery programme. The First Family is also not pleased with the frail look of the President.

"There is no point presenting an emaciated President to those who are coming. Although the President is already walking about in the recuperating room, the family is not happy at all. And they are unsure those coming are doing so for genuine reasons or to spy.

"We also learnt that the Yar’Aduas are restricting access to the President after their experience with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. They were shocked that Obasanjo who had never made a call to Yar’Adua or endeavour to visit Saudi Arabia had asked Yar’Adua to quit. The family felt betrayed by the former President.

"This shut-out development has however upset everyone including those who are sympathetic to the President."

Meanwhile, findings last night revealed that a delegation of the House of Representatives may only meet with the First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua and Nigeria ’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia , Abdullahi Aminchi.

The House had about three weeks ago raised a six-man delegation, being led by its Deputy Leader, Hon. Baba Shehu Agaie.

The committee’s two terms of reference border on conveying the goodwill of the House to the President and discussing state matters.

Although the six members have secured visa, it was gathered that the team might leave before the end of this week.

But a source added: "A major challenge the delegations will face is access to the President because of the strict Saudi laws. You can only see a patient in any Saudi hospital with the full consent (at times written) of his or her family.

"In view of the sensitive nature of Yar’Adua’s ill-health, there must also be security clearance from Saudi Government before any Nigerian delegation can see President Yar’Adua who is in one of the reserved clinical wing for Saudi princes.

"They can only meet with either the First Lady or Nigeria ’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia to have information on the health status of the President."

Akunyili's Memo to FEC

“The purpose of this memo is to seek Council’s support to help in resolving the lingering political situation in the country by passing a resolution calling Mr. President to officially hand over to the Vice-President to function as Acting President.

“Council will recall that I presented a paper titled state of the nation to council on the 3rd of February 2010 and after circulating copies to ministers (which was read and digested by all), I was advised to withdraw the paper.
“In view of the seriousness of the situation, and my concern for our dear country, I’m now compelled to present it formally as a Memo to Council for consideration.

“I want to start my humble submission by stating that I am a 100% loyalist of President Yar’Adua. He appointed all of us because he trusts us and wants us to help him to run government effectively and efficiently.

“Mr. President has given all of us seated in this chamber the opportunity to serve our nation as members of this Council. I believe that in the choice of all of us, as individuals and group, Mr. President must have considered our ability to guide him aright to serve our people better, promote and protect the Constitution in line with the oath of office taken before him in this chamber by each and every one of us. President Yar’Adua is very dear to me just as he is to all of you.

“We are all aware of what has been happening in Nigeria, especially as it concerns the issue of making the Vice-President an Acting President. There have been debates for and against this.

“Some have argued that there is no vacuum and that it is ok for the Vice-President to function as Vice-President, not as Acting President pending the return and recovery of Mr. President.

“For the proponents of this theory, I want to remind them that permanent secretaries have been waiting to be sworn in for over two months now. Consequently, many ministries are without permanent secretaries, including my ministry.

“As it is today, the Vice-President cannot take any document to National Assembly. In a very desperate situation like the recent Jos crisis, the Vice-President deployed troops to Plateau, but many have openly said that he does not have the right because there cannot be two Commanders-in-Chief at a time.

“Just recently, Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) opted out of the amnesty and resumed hostility. They argued that they have been kept in limbo since the President took ill and they appeared to have been abandoned since nobody could talk to them or keep the promise made to them. Our economy is once more being threatened.

“The past Chief Justice of the Federation swore in his successor for the first time in the history of our nation. The power vacuum at that level has also compounded our ‘poor image’ at the international level because of our commitments and engagements that require the presence of our President.

“Many similar situations/opportunities have existed in the past 70 days that I do not need to recount. I do not also need to repeat the uncomplimentary statements made by United States, United Kingdom and European Union (EU) concerning the current state of affairs in Nigeria.

“There has been persistent agitation by the public for members of the Federal Executive Council to do something. Nigerians expect us to rise to this challenge on behalf of our President as the leader of this administration.

“Some eminent citizens have spoken. They include former Heads of State and others who have served our nation in various capacities. The Senate has also taken a position of which we are all aware. The looming crisis in the system is over boiling. Our hard-earned democracy is being threatened by the day.

“What went wrong? We love our President but we should remember that he is not infallible. Before he left Nigeria he had a moral and constitutional obligation to officially inform the Senate and hand over the mantle of leadership to the Vice-President pending his return and recovery.

That did not happen. Yes, the mistake has been made by our boss and our brother. Mr. President is ill and did not choose to be sick. But while we continue to pray for his recovery, we should try to right the wrong.

“Some have argued that he left the country in a hurry. This argument has been punctured by the fact that he signed the Appropriation Bill for National Assembly. If he could sign the Bill, why did he not sign a letter for Vice-President to act on his behalf until he is well enough?

“We have a local proverb that says that: ‘A goat does not get strangulated by the rope used in tying it when an adult is present.’ We are all in a better position to know that the polity is overheated to a frightening level. Posterity will judge us harshly if we do not positively intervene to resolve this logjam.

“I wish to call on the Federal Executive Council to act now in the best interest of our dear President and our dear nation. We also need to save ourselves from shame because our stand is becoming very embarrassing. Mr. President has been away for over 70 days. Even if he returns tomorrow, is it not better for him to rest and recover fully before taking over from the Vice-President?

“We need to do what is morally right and constitutional for the President to officially hand over to the Vice-President to function as Acting President.

“I am not saying that President Yar’Adua should resign or condemn him for being sick. He did not choose to be sick. We will continue to pray for him but all I am saying is, let us encourage him to do the right thing so that our hard-earned democracy will not be truncated. Anybody who feels otherwise is unfair to our President (who has been preaching the rule of law), and utterly unfair to our country.

“The name of our President and all his achievements are being rubbished by this unfortunate debacle. The President and his family are also being put under undue pressure which will not help his recovery. If we fail to act now, history will not forgive us.”

Reps in rowdy session over Yar'Adua, Senate acts today

TENSION, verbal abuse and near-degeneration into fisticuffs marked a debate by the House of Representatives on the absence and health status of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday.

But unlike the Senate, the House of Representatives, for the second time in two weeks, failed to demand a letter of vacation from Yar'Adua. The Nigerian leader is spending the third month in a hospital in Saudi Arabia.

With a few voices of dissent, which were not even heard by the House leadership, the members through a voice vote stopped a motion seeking to compel Yar'Adua to, within two weeks, transmit a letter to the National Assembly on his absence.

But the Senate appears relentless in its efforts to resolve the riddle over Yar'Adua's continued absence from office for three months.

Today, the Upper House will attempt to find out whether Yar'Adua actually transmitted a letter on his vacation to the Legislature that was allegedly not delivered by a presidential aide.

Also yesterday, Senate President David Mark on the floor of the Upper House announced a meeting of all Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators to address Yar'Adua's dilemma.

At the Lower House, the first sign that all was not well came even before the plenary session began. Two members from the South-South zone, Igo Aguma and Henry Dickson, exchanged hot words as they entered the chamber for the session. It got to a stage where Aguma passed through Dickson's raining insults on him and other colleagues.

Shortly after that, the Speaker's procession entered the chamber and when he (Dimeji Bankole) called for the chamber's prayers, the echoes of members confirmed that the House was in for a rowdy session.

When the session started, Sani Abdul from Bauchi State raised a point of order on matters of privilege. He said that as a Nigerian, the tension in the country over the leadership vacuum had affected him and his constituents. He submitted that the situation was a breach of his privileges and those of his constituents. Sani said the House set up a team that was supposed to visit Yar'Adua in Saudi and report back but that had not been done.

Bankole asked the leader of that delegation and Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Alhaji Baba Shehu Agaie, to brief the House and he said they had procured visas and would leave for Saudi yesterday.

Other lawmakers, including Henry Dickson, cited Order 5 of the standing rules of the House and argued that their privileges had been breached because the leadership of the House failed to make available copies of the letters presented by various groups to the House on the issue of the health of the President.

Bankole directed that copies of the letters and all the court judgments on the matter be made available to members without delay.

Then Sani Abdul raised a constitutional order but Bankole asked him to raise a motion using the right channel. Emmanuel Jimeh from Benue State also raised Order 9 (1) 6, saying that the matter had been ruled upon by the Speaker and should not be revisited until the delegation to Saudi returns.

Abdul Ningi pleaded with the House to allow Sani to raise his motion. The speaker obliged him.

Aminu Tambuwal said Sani had raised the issue and should be allowed to move the motion and let the matter be put to rest. But Ike Chinwo said since a delegation had been mandated and the committee had expressed its readiness to travel to Saudi Arabia, the matter should not be debated until the team returns.

Finally, Sani moved the motion and asked Yar'Adua to comply with section 145 by transmitting a letter to the National Assembly. He added that the President's absence had generated tension in the country. "The President should comply with the constitution within two weeks."

It was seconded by Anas Adamu. Bankole asked Sani to continue and there was a wild reaction from the members. Some protested that the matter be rested.

Some lawmakers observed that those thinking that by transmitting the letter to the National Assembly Yar'Adua would be transferring powers to the Vice President were wrong.

Speaking against the motion, Ningi said Nigeria as a nation is at the crossroads and should be guided by the constitution and the rules of the House. He appealed to members to realise the role of the parliament. The lawmaker advised that the matter be referred to the Executive arm of government based on the principle of separation of powers. He said section 145 deals with transmission of a letter by the Executive to the National Assembly. He consequently advised that it is not the duty of the parliament to tell the Executive to transmit the letter.

Femi Gbajabiamila said: "It is a fact that the President has been away for three months just as it is a fact that the Vice President, Senate President and the Speaker have not seen him. The motion is not asking us to compel the President to transmit the letter."

Bankole drew his attention to the prayers of the motion, which sought to give the President two weeks to transmit the letter, which amounted to compelling him.

Mohammed Ali Ndume, who also spoke against the motion, urged members to respect the constitution. He added that the Executive Council presided over by the Vice President came up with a resolution that the President is still fit to perform his duties.

The Speaker put the question and member overwhelmingly voted against the motion through a voice vote.

A drama took place as a member from Imo State, Independence Ogunlewe, who struggled to speak against the motion but was not recognised by the Speaker before the voice vote, was sighted chasing a member from Kano State, Ado Dogo. Ogunlewe towards the end of the debate stood up even when not recognised and was making an attempt to speak.

After the voice vote, Dogo was said to have jokingly told Ogunlewe that if he did not take time, the chamber would still suspend him. This, according to members close to them, made Ogunlewe who was suspended for one month last year, to attempt to fight his colleague.

Expected to meet the Senate on the letter purportedly written by Yar'Adua on his ill-health to the lawmakers is the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Senator Mohammed Abba Aji. He is to appear before the Senate today to explain his role on the non-transmission of the said letter, which was based on Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.

The 91 senators were billed to meet last night in the official residence of the Senate President David Mark for what sources described as part of efforts to reduce the onslaught on the party's controlled presidency in the Upper House.

Most of the lawmakers pushing for the President to transmit a letter to the Assembly are on the platform of the PDP.

Mark had announced the meeting on the floor of the Senate yesterday just as he said that Aji would meet with the lawmakers at noon today.

A national newspaper (not The Guardian) had reported early December that Aji had got a letter from the President but turned back on his way to the President on reading the content. He was said to have discouraged Yar'Adua from sending the letter.

Aji has however denied the story but the heat was turned on him when a top government official told senators that the letter was indeed written but could not explain why it was not delivered.

The Guardian had however learnt that some close personal aides were the ones whose bidding Aji carried out in failing to submit the letter.

AbdulMutallab is ‘co-operating‘ , says US

United States authorities have said Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the Nigerian suspected of trying to blow up a US plane on Christmas Day is now co-operating and providing ”useful” information.

According to a British Broadcasting Corporation report, officials told US media that Abdulmutallab had stopped talking to investigators but started again ”last week”.

Abdulmutallab, 23, is accused of trying to blow up a flight to Detroit with a bomb hidden in his underwear.

He has denied a charge of attempting to murder 290 people.

US officials, according to BBC, said that with Abdulmutallab apparently talking again, it is conceivable a plea bargain might be now reached.

An official quoted by Reuters news agency said: ”Abdulmutallab is talking and has been talking since last week providing useful, actionable and current intelligence that we‘ve been actively following up on.”

When questioned on the subject, FBI director Robert Mueller told the Senate Intelligence Committee that the intelligence was valuable and that Mr Abdulmutallab was still being questioned.

The interrogation of Mr Abdulmutallab has caused controversy in the US.

The suspect had been talking to FBI agents before he went into surgery for burns on his legs but afterwards refused to talk.

It will be recalled that The Washington Post reported last week that prosecutors were inching toward an agreement that would secure cooperation from Abdulmutallab,

Quoting sources familiar with the case, the newspaper reported that public defenders for the 23-year-old were engaged in negotiations with the prosecutors that could result in a guilty plea and an agreement to share more information on the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.