Ailing President Umar Yar’Adua would have collapsed if he had presented the 2010 budget to the joint session of the National Assembly on Nov. 20, 2009, according to a presidential villa source.
The source told African Examiner that the face-off between the House of Representatives and the Senate over the venue of the budget presentation was obviously diversionary, saying that the president’s loyalists orchestrated the face-off so that the president could be excused from the rigors of standing for about one hour
or more addressing the parliament.
‘It was the second day after the scheduled budget presentation that the president was flown to Saudi Arabia for medical emergency, that means the president would not have had enough energy, a day earlier, to stand before the parliament and a whole lot of media cameras’ -the source noted
It is amazing that the Senate President David Mark, and some senators will allow themselves to be used for a very sensitive issue of national budget. You would recall that it was the senate president who insisted that the senate chamber should be used for the joint session despite the fact that his chamber’s seats are not enough for both
members of the two chambers, plus the ministers, president and vice president’s entourage, as well as members of the diplomatic corp.
However, the second plan of the president’s men was that if the face-off did not succeed, then the president would be smuggled into the house chamber through the back door (the back door hallway was already red carpeted for this plan).
Two reasons for the second plan was that: It would hide the president from the full public glare if he passes through the big lobby of the National Assembly, and Nigerians will not be able to see how sick is the president.
It would also prevent him from walking through the long step across the house chamber to the front where he needs to be to address the joint session, his men thought he might not have enough energy to walk such energy sapping chamber.
To this end, both the Senate and House members meshed themselves in a face off over venue for budget presentation, while the sick president had a window to escape an all important national responsibility.
Since the news of the president illness broke, many prominent Nigerians have advised him to resign so he can take care of his protracted sickness. However, first lady and some of his loyalists have said that the president would not resign.
Reports also indicate that Vice President Jonathan Goodluck has been under immense pressure from some powerful groups in the North to resign to pave the way for a bye-election, in case the President is not able to return to office.
