'Yar'Adua Not Resigning Or Allowing Acting President'.

Byline: Ise-Oluwa Ige

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN), yesterday, told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that President Umaru Yar'Adua would neither resign his office nor allow his Vice, Dr. Jonathan Goodluck, to act as President for a second on account of his health.

According to the nation's Chief Law Officer, President Yar'Adua was not suffering from infirmity of body or mind as to render him permanently incapable of discharging the functions of his office from anywhere in the world.

He said the Federal Executive Council, FEC, which is a creation of the Nigerian constitution, had, on December 2 invoked its powers under Section 144 (1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution to pass a resolution and declared Yar'Adua fit to continue governance.

He added that Vice-President Goodluck was at the FEC meeting where the resolution was passed and that he played a prominent role to shoot down the call for Yar'Adua's resignation or wholesale transfer of presidential powers to him (VP), in acting capacity.

Aondoakaa spoke yesterday in court at hearings in a suit filed by a Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, and another by Honourable Farouk Adamu Aliyu and a lawyer, Mr Hussaini Gabbas

Falana is asking the court to compel President Yar'Adua to transmit a written information to the National Assembly about his ill-health to enable the two chambers of the National Assembly empower Vice-President Jonathan Goodluck to take over governance and discharge the function of office of the President in the capacity of Acting President.

He said he wanted the court to move in his favour so as to legalise all decisions including contract awards being taken at FEC meetings under the chairmanship of Goodluck, who he said allegedly has no such authority to do so.

Aliyu, in his own suit, being prosecuted by the chambers of Mr. Bamidele Aturu is asking the Federal High Court to declare President Yar'Adua unfit to continue governance in view of his absence from duty for over 30 days and wanted a consequential …