Date Published: 02/09/10

Senate, House empower Jonathan as acting President

Goodluck Jonathan

The Nigeria Senate and House of Representatives have separately passed a resolution asking Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to act as President in the absence of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who has been sick and incapacitated for more than 70 days at a Saudi Arabian Hospital.

The Federal legislators’ resolution has now ended the clamor that the lawmakers resolve to back Jonathan as acting President.

The motion, backed by the majority of Senate members, puts further pressure on Mr. Yar'Adua to formally transfer powers but there is no provision for such a move by the upper house of parliament under the terms of the constitution.

"The Vice President ... shall henceforth discharge the functions of the office of the president, commander in chief of the armed forces of the federation, as acting president," the motion said.

Mr. Yar'Adua has been in Saudi Arabia for more than two months receiving treatment for a heart condition but has not formally transferred power to Vice President Jonathan, triggering confusion over who is in charge.

The Senate passed a second motion that Mr. Jonathan would cease to be acting president when Mr. Yar'Adua transmits a letter to parliament saying that he has returned from "medical vacation".

The Senate said it based its decision on a BBC interview with the president on January 12. In that interview, Mr. Yar'Adua said that he would return to work once his doctors cleared him.

"The BBC interview granted by the president is as good as the letter envisaged in the constitution because if you go onto the Internet, you will see a copy of what he said," the Senate president David Mark said.