It’s sensible to quit now Col Umar tells Yar’Adua

[Angela]

Well put, by Col Umar

It is very sad why Yar'Adua is allowing himself to cornered by sycophants

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Foremost blue-blooded prince and former Kaduna State military administrator, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar on Tuesday joined other Nigerians in calling for the resignation of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

He made this known in a seven-page press statement, issued in Kaduna, a copy of which was made available to Daily Sun. He entitled it “Mr. President, for God and Country, please resign.”
According to the retired military officer turned human rights crusader, his call on the president to resign was necessitated by his failing health conditions, adding that what he was asking the president to do was the most patriotic and sensible thing for him (Yar’Adua) to do at this point in time.

He further said a critical look at the president would give one a picture of a man with ghostly looks and who lacks vigour in his body languages, adding that his embarrassing performance in all sectors of the country’s economy in the last two and half years further made the call for his resignation an inevitable one.
Umar also warned that in case the president decided to heed wise counsel and quit, the nation’s constitution must be followed to the latter.

“It is now five weeks since the President once again took seriously ill and had to be rushed to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where he remains, according to some accounts, bedridden. Whatever the condition in which the President may find himself, it is one more trip too many.
“In the face of the very sketchy information available on the president’s medical condition, thanks to the deliberate suppression of information on the matter, one needs to avoid giving the impression of insensitivity towards the president’s predicament and playing into the hands of ethnic jingoists and sycophants.
“Since May 2007 when he took office, the president’s ill-health has become increasingly manifest frequent medical trips, absence from important national and international functions, ghostly looks and lack of vigour in his body language.

“The President is a tragic sight to behold. The only conclusion anybody can reach is that the president is a very sick man… “The President’s aides, cronies and beneficiaries of his condition may persist in denial but the truth is that his dismal failure in the past two and half years could only be the result of his failing health.
“A charge of malingering would do injustice to the man famed for credible performance as the governor of Katsina state. Yar’Adua’s predicament is not a family or PDP affair as his aides would have us believe. They need to acknowledge the terrible suffering Nigerians have to put up with on account of his very dismal performance and having to watch helplessly the pitiful sight of their president on television screens.

“The important role played by a charismatic, dynamic and knowledgeable leader in giving direction to a nation in crisis cannot be overemphasized. This is more so in developing societies which are characterized by weak democratic institutions. The contribution of such leaders in crisis time was well-documented.
“More than at any time in its chequered history, Nigeria stands in dire need of a redeeming leader; a charismatic, energetic and diligent figure… that is what Yar’Adua is not. He is introverted, reclusive and too frail to serve as the mobilizing president for a nation under deep stress. The perpetuation of this overburdened and weak leadership is not in our national interest. The impact of Yar’Adua’s poor health on the fortunes of this country is everywhere.

“To be sure the Yar’Adua administration inherited a lot of rots from previous administrations, more so the immediate past administration of president Obasanjo, his mentor. At his inauguration, Yar’Adua had the modesty to acknowledge that he was the beneficiary of a very fraudulent election. He could, therefore, not be said to have a legitimate mandate.
“That alone could make the task of mobilizing the nation towards national resurgence quite arduous. But Nigerians had been trumatised, they were willing to place, for the moment at least those concerned on ice. After all, they are not new comers to electoral scams in the past.

“While the country is drifting on account of the president’s lack of capacity as evidenced by his frequent absence and lackluster performance, our political leaders are compounding our problems by declaring that the nation would be thrown into crisis if the president fails to recover. This, to say the least, is irresponsible and can only succeed in once again pushing the nation to the precipice.
“It is difficult to see how the ill-health and possible incapacitation as an individual, even if he is the president may lead to the kind of crisis our leaders prophesy. After all, our democracy is guided by a constitution and therefore governed by laws.
“Luckily, this government has laid claim to being a stickler for the observance of the rule of law. Undoubtedly, the nation will be thrown into crisis if we fail to allow the constitution to prevail in this matter for whatever reason. Our leaders must eschew any actions or utterance that can only result in over heating the polity.
“Contrary to what some sycophants believe, the country is greater than an individual… The constitution is very clear as to what should happen in the event that the president is unable to discharge the duties of his office. It is, however, difficult to see how a cabinet appointed by the president and exists at his pleasure can summon the courage to declare him unfit to hold office.

“There is no nice way to tell President Umaru Yar’Adua what has to be said: he has proven too ill to function effectively. His poor scorecard and the very pathetic state of the nation are proof of the evidence to which all can attest. While we pray for the President’s quick recovery, we do not believe it is in the nation’s interest, not even in his to hang on to power.

“He should do what is patriotic, sensible and right and voluntarily resign forthwith-for God and country. Any thought of a temporary handover pending his recovery can only sustain the state of disorder in the country, quite apart from creating the conditions anarchists often seek to exploit,” Col. Umar said.