Nigerian parliament names Jonathan to act as president
Source: Agencies |
February 10, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Nigerian parliament yesterday empowered Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to take over for the ill president, whose absence has stoked unrest in Africa's most populous country.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed measures calling on Jonathan to act as president and commander in chief until Umaru Yar'Adua returns from Saudi Arabia, where he has been receiving medical treatment for a heart condition since November.
Yar'Adua's absence has caused a cease-fire with militants in the oil-rich delta to unravel and had left no one formally in charge of the nation of 150 million. The crisis in a powerful country with a long history of coups and military dictatorships has drawn international attention, with United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European leaders calling on the nation to follow its constitution.
Newspapers began worrying about possible coup scenarios as Yar'Adua's absence grew longer. However, military leaders said several weeks ago they had no ambitions to take power and would respect the constitution.
It was unclear when Jonathan would be sworn in as president.
The National Assembly's empowering of Jonathan may set the stage for new legal battles and power struggles. The motion would allow Yar'Adua to reassume the presidency if he returns healthy enough to lead the nation.
However, many have worried the president may be too seriously ill to serve again, throwing into question who will lead the ruling party in 2011's presidential election.
Yar'Adua, who has long suffered from kidney ailments, left Nigeria for Saudi Arabia on November 23. He was admitted to hospital the next day for acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart, his doctor said.
Since Yar'Adua left Nigeria, a major kidnapping and a pipeline attack have occurred in the Niger Delta. Religious violence between Christians and Muslims also left more than 300 dead and thousands displaced. And a young Nigerian attempted to bring down a flight bound for Detroit, sparking tighter security for travelers from the West African nation.
While Nigerian law allows for a smooth transition of power to the vice president, the 58-year-old president left without following any of those procedures.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed measures calling on Jonathan to act as president and commander in chief until Umaru Yar'Adua returns from Saudi Arabia, where he has been receiving medical treatment for a heart condition since November.
Yar'Adua's absence has caused a cease-fire with militants in the oil-rich delta to unravel and had left no one formally in charge of the nation of 150 million. The crisis in a powerful country with a long history of coups and military dictatorships has drawn international attention, with United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European leaders calling on the nation to follow its constitution.
Newspapers began worrying about possible coup scenarios as Yar'Adua's absence grew longer. However, military leaders said several weeks ago they had no ambitions to take power and would respect the constitution.
It was unclear when Jonathan would be sworn in as president.
The National Assembly's empowering of Jonathan may set the stage for new legal battles and power struggles. The motion would allow Yar'Adua to reassume the presidency if he returns healthy enough to lead the nation.
However, many have worried the president may be too seriously ill to serve again, throwing into question who will lead the ruling party in 2011's presidential election.
Yar'Adua, who has long suffered from kidney ailments, left Nigeria for Saudi Arabia on November 23. He was admitted to hospital the next day for acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart, his doctor said.
Since Yar'Adua left Nigeria, a major kidnapping and a pipeline attack have occurred in the Niger Delta. Religious violence between Christians and Muslims also left more than 300 dead and thousands displaced. And a young Nigerian attempted to bring down a flight bound for Detroit, sparking tighter security for travelers from the West African nation.
While Nigerian law allows for a smooth transition of power to the vice president, the 58-year-old president left without following any of those procedures.
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