Iyke-D:

Time will tell how far to the religious right Yar Adua will be, but I read his state was about
the only one in the North that do no use the government's funds to sponsor Hajj. If that
is true, then he deserve some credit and I doubt very much if he will be that extreme.

McKren:

Well Yar'adua's presidency is a done deal. Better brace up for a Nigeria whose closest allies will be Syria, Iran and Lebanon. With our president romancing seriously with Mahmuud Amadenajad. If power must go back to the North and should be a governor why no Adamu Mauzu who is at least in terms with the pace at which the world is moving.
At least he got educated at University of Birmingham, only God knows what Yar'adua's foreign policy will be.
The truth is that people can only comprehend what OBJ is getting at when they realise the changes in PDP contitution which gives the BOT chairman powers over the president. Note that the contitution was also changed so that OBJ will be the next chairman BOT.

superman:

Haha loverboy and co i hear una make una be careful i fit fly come show una some magic

The presidency this morning said that Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s seat would be declared vacant. This follows his decision to contest the 2007 presidential election under the platform of the Action Congress (AC). Abubakar Atiku was elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party. Speaking with P.M.News this morning, Alhaji Uba Sani, Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, said the Presidency is now shopping for a replacement for Atiku. He said all privileges attached to the office of the Veepee have been withdrawn. Sani, who said he pitied the Vice President for his action, which he took out of ignorance, added that there is no way he can continue to be the vice president of a PDP-led government.

“By his action, he has ceased to be the VP. He has resigned his position technically,” Sani said. According to Sani, the VP also breached Section 146 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by going to contest under another platform outside the platform that brought him to office. When reminded about the provisions of the constitution regarding the removal of the VP from office, the special assistant declared: “The constitution is very clear on that. Atiku was misinformed and misled as regards the provisions of the constitution. “At the moment, all necessary action would be taken to take away the office from him since he is no longer a member of the ruling PDP,” he stated.

Indications of the withdrawal of the privileges of the Vice President came yesterday when Atiku was denied the use of the presidential aircraft by the president for a trip to the United States. Atiku had to travel by a commercial flight. Some of the privileges enjoyed by the Vice President and now withdrawn include: Special Security, Presidential Aides, Use of Presidential Jets, Travel Allowances and other perquisites of office; Police Orderly, SSS Operatives, Official Protocol and recognition at public events. P.M.NEWS observed that the Vice President was not recognised yesterday during the presentation of national honours to some select Nigerians. The National Executive Committee of the PDP also condemned the action of the Vice President today. Short of announcing the expulsion of Atiku Abubakar from the party, the NEC asked the party’s chairman, Ahmadu Ali to apprise INEC and the National Assembly about the current status of the vice president and the governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, both of whom picked the tickets of AC and PPA to pursue presidential ambitions this week.

As far as the party was concerned, the actions of the two politicians “have rendered nugatory the privileges of membership of the PDP”. It also said the action of Atiku contradicted his status as the Vice President of Nigeria. The NEC not only condemned the two men, but also empowered the president to pursue constitutional means to sanction both Atiku and Orji Kalu. Indications that Atiku will be declared a persona non grata in the PDP emerged this afternoon after a member of the National Executive Council came out and exclaimed: “Atiku is finished in PDP. He is a goner.” Meanwhile, following his public declaration for Action Congress on Wednesday in Lagos, intense pressures are reportedly being mounted on Atiku to resign. P.M.NEWS authoritatively gathered that pressures for Atiku to quit office are being mounted both by foes and friends alike for different reasons.

While the political foes of the Vice President are insisting that he must quit his position as the number two man, having violated section 142 (1) and (2) of the 1999 constitution as a result of his declaration for AC, his friends want him to quit on moral grounds. Some associates of the VP were said to have based their argument on the fact that he had suffered much humiliation from the President and it is time to stop the debasement of the number two position. They argued that instead of continuing to suffer humiliation, Atiku should resign and launch an all out campaign against the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). In this way, the associates explained further, Atiku would be able to enlighten the people about his manifesto and why they should vote out PDP in the next elections. Also commenting on the imperative of Atiku quitting office, Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, said Atiku ceased to be the Vice President of Nigeria the moment he emerged as the presidential flagbearer of AC in the 2007 presidential elections.

He appealed to the veepee to vacate office and allow a new vice president to be appointed under section 142, sub-sections (1), (2) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, he must be of the same political party with the President for him to be elected with the president. “He has turned asunder that platform thereby violating section 142 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, by moving from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Action Congress (AC),” Chief Fawehinmi stated in a statement sent to P.M.NEWS. Meanwhile, the Action Congress has slammed the PDP-led federal government for denying Vice President Atiku Abubakar the use of the presidential jet to travel to the US on vacation, saying the development is a reflection of the scorched-earth and crude tactics being used by President Olusegun Obasanjo and the ruling party to further denigrate the office of the VP.

In a statement issued in Abuja Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Muhammad, AC said the development also confirms fears expressed by the VP during his acceptance speech Wednesday, after picking the presidential ticket of the AC in Lagos. The VP had said he was sure that the government will step up his persecution, after dumping the dying PDP for a party populated by proven democrats. AC said despite an earlier approval of the vacation by President Obasanjo, and an agreed schedule for the VP to travel out of Abuja on the presidential jet Wednesday night, the President informed the Airport Commandant not to release the plane for the VP’s use. The party said though the VP eventually travelled out of Abuja aboard a commercial airline Thursday, the President’s action smacks of intolerance.

Jaybaba:

Yar Adua,
From whence cometh thee to become the president of Nigeria?

The PDP says it has got us $50billion in foreign reserves. The PDP knows like I do, that this money did not come from a policy of theirs but as a result of high oil prices. What is the achievement in that? Now, how does it become a good thing for anyone to say that Yar Adua would manage the fund well?

In a democracy, power belongs to the people through their political parties. The parties package manifestos and carry them out if they win. What is the manifesto of the PDP? Has it been done? Why on earth should we not look at their candidate from a personal angle?
Yar Adua is a jihadist. He is not just a Muslim. Muslims are kind hearted people but not jihadists from amongst them. This country has not been safe in the hands of a man who claims he is a Christian, how much will it fair in the hands of a man who supported a woman caught in adultery to be stoned to death? This is a security question. The PDP have not done anything to stop the high rate of robbery caused by their economic blunders and they want to bring someone who promises to continue their reforms.

Yar Adua, as a person has no liberal principles for which we should not fear. I wait to be corrected. Atiku is not my alternative cause he's corrupt neither is Buhari who is in the same vein with Yar Adua.

LoverBwoy:

What is the manifesto of any party in nigeria?

youve just cancelled everyone out so who is your alternative? Duke ? who is a member of a party that made an agreement to zone the presidency?

hhhhmmmm,a northern president.may God have mercy on nigeria.cause its really scary having a muslim president,no one can tell.Thoniaslim

Kazaure:



Were did you go to school. Religious ethnocentric bigotry are the beginning of this nations problems. So what if YarAdua is a muslim.The founding fathers of this nation were muslim and christian and they discharged their duties with humility and responsibility. Nuhu Ribadu is a muslim and El-Rufai is a muslim. With views like that I fear the type of future we have in the country with you teaching your kids nonsense like that. Shame on you. Nigeria is Nigeria regardless of religious views, we should have country in mid first and vote for those that also do.

Merry Christmas.

], hey!! school has got nothing to do with the matters at hand, i am a core xtian and i have no apologies to say that Buhari[despite the perceived previous unstatemanly  excesses] is my man,any day,anytime, ], you people should try to be tolerant of people s view point, u have just demostrated [practically] the young chap s fears, but i agree with you we should think of Nigeria first, please pass the message around, for Nigeria to rise again, the best bet is Buhari, NO APOLOGIES