The Action Congress (AC) has declared that the first challenge before the newly-constituted cabinet of ministers must be to declare the ailing President, Umaru Yar’Adua, incapacitated by invoking Section 144 of the Constitution.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, issued on Wednesday, stated that this move is essential to “remove all distractions to governance and pave the way for the new Cabinet to face the daunting challenges facing it.” AC reminded the new ministers that the Constitution did not envisage an indefinite Acting Presidency, “one that is constantly being distracted so much that it cannot meet the yearnings of Nigerians.”
“Therefore, invoking the necessary section of the Constitution to end the impasse will be a win-win situation for the ailing President, who will be able to take care of his health unhindered, as well as for Nigerians who can at least begin to look up to the government again to deliver the so-called dividends of democracy” the party said.
It called on all Nigerians to continue praying for the president‘s quick recovery, adding that the issues involved transcend an individual, because the presidency is an institution, warning that the presence of the President Yar’Adua in Aso Rock is like “a Sword of Damocles hanging on the head of the Acting President.”
The party claims it has been vindicated by the recently-arranged visits to the President by Muslim and Christian clerics, claiming that “the visits have turned the whole issue into a circus, introduced a dangerous religious angle to it, and threatened to distract the Acting President from governance.’’