Did Yar’Adua Speak With The Top Three in Government?

San Francisco Jan 5, (THEWILL) – THEWILL has not been able to independently verify reports that the ailing Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua had a telephone conversation on Tuesday with Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President David mark and Speaker of the House Dimeji Bankole.

A highly informed source in Abuja had informed THEWILL in a conference call on Tuesday that the President made calls to the leaders. “ I am telling you that he called Jonathan, Mark and Dimeji, but I don't know what they spoke about,” the source added.

However, when we contacted another insider he said the President could not have spoken to anyone, and insisted that the report was inaccurate. “The President should speak to the nation if they are sincere. All this talk about talking to this or that person is all false.”

We have not been able to reach spokespersons for the trio to verify the claim.

Chairman of the Governors' Forum, Dr. Bukola Saraki told reporters after the Peoples Democratic Party Governors meeting in Abuja on Tuesday that the President spoke with the VP, Senate President and Speaker of the House.

Recall however that the same Bukola Saraki had told reporters he met with the President with three others at the King Faisa Hospital in Jeddah a few days after his hospitalization, a claim that we have since confirmed to be inaccurate.

The ailing Nigerian President has been hospitalized for more than 45 days now and his health condition is still shrouded in secrecy.

Some government officials have openly said his absence has not affected the machinery of government. The Governor of the Central Bank Lamido Sanusi after the Monetary Policy Committee meeting said the economy grew by 6.9 percent last year insisting that the President's absence has not affected the economy in anyway.

Senate spokesman, Ayogu Eze after the Senate meeting on Tuesday told reporters that though the President did not comply with Sections 141 and 145 of the Constitution, there was nothing the Senate could do about it stressing that it was not against the law to have the President sign the budget outside Nigeria.

“The Constitution has stated from Sections 141 and 145 clearly what should be done in each case and the National Assembly is maybe the port of last resort. We have got assurances that he is doing well. Why don't we give him the benefit of doubt,” Eze said.

In a related development, activist, lawyer and Chairman of the West African Bar Association Mr. Femi Falana told reporters at the premises of the Federal High Court,

that the Nigerian Government should produce the President's medical report so that his current health can be ascertained.

Falana had filed a suit at a Federal High Court urging the court to compel the President to forward a letter to the National Assembly in order to enable the Vice President act as President. Falana is also seeking proof from the FEC that Yar'Adua is able to perform his duties and also wants the Attorney General, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa to declare under oath that the President actually signed the 2009 Supplementary Budget, which Mr. Edevbie took to Jeddah.

We had earlier reported exclusively that the President's Principal Secretary, Mr. David Edevbie was not allowed to meet with the President when he went to Jeddah but returned with the documents signed anyway.