Pressure mounts, Saudis want Yar’Adua back home
By Yusuph Olaniyonu, 01.24.2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010

There were indications yesterday that the Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may be getting increasingly uncomfortable with the continuing stay of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Jeddah, as they believe “he is well enough to travel back to Nigeria to continue his recuperation,” diplomatic sources told THISDAY.

http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jan/24/209.html

Yar’Adua left Nigeria for Saudi Arabia to seek medical attention for acute Pericarditis, a heart-related disease, 62 days ago.

While the Saudis are “happy and indeed honoured” to host the Nigerian leader, they are worried that “his continuing stay in hospital may lead to other complications resulting from long hospitalisation which may expose him to other ailments.”

Signals from the Saudi Royalty coupled with last Friday ruling by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Dan Abutu, that the Executive Council of the Federation should within 14 days make public resolution to determine the state of health of the president have intensified the pressure on him to return home to restore his presidency in the face of mounting protests at home over his continuing stay abroad and refusal to constitutionally hand power to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to act on his behalf.

Aside from the Saudi authorities growing unease and the court ruling, the statement on Thursday by former President Olusegun Obasanjo calling on Yar’Adua to take the path of honour and morality if his health would not allow him to perform his responsibilities, has also become a strong source of pressure on Yar’Adua to return to Nigeria as many of his supporters, especially among governors and lawmakers are jumping ship in droves.

Obasanjo’s statement had divided the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as some believe the ex-president had spoken the minds of many party leaders who are only exercising restraints for the sake of decorum.

The Saudi authorities believe doctors have done their work and that he is well enough to return home while the rest can be taken care of by Nigerian doctors and post-hospitalisation consultations.

THISDAY checks reveal that Yar’Adua often moves around his hospital suite unaided but may have lost as much as eight to 10 kilos of his normally lean weight, prompting his wife, Turai and family members to wanting him to regain some of his weight and stability before returning home.

It is also believed that his continuing stay in hospital could lead to unenvisaged problems, which long stay in hospital can bring, especially through nurses and other hospital staff.

The Saudis are believed to be reaching out to influential Nigerians to urge the First Lady, Turai, to persuade her husband to return home as soon as possible.

Hajia Yar’Adua, the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Abdullahi Aminchi, who was deputy to Yar’Adua as governor of Katsina State, and a few personal aides are said to be the only ones that have access to the President at the hospital. The access, is said not to always translate to influence while those with influence and constitutional authority have no access to the President in his hospital suite.

The Saudi thinking feeds on the political dynamics in Nigeria. For example, it is believed that the Friday court ruling has added to the pressure on ministers who will now have to show their hands in the face of mounting public outcry.

The full import of the ruling is such that in line with the provision of Section 144 of the 1999 Constitution, ministers cannot take an informed decision to comply with the court ruling without access to the president by the minister of health and other senior cabinet members.

Said an analyst in Abuja, “how can ministers pass a resolution on the health of the president they have not seen or spoken to? Such a resolution would not only expose them to legal challenges, but make them a laughing stock of the nation. For them to pass a credible resolution, they must have access to the president.”

It is also believed that since the last Thursday statement by Obasanjo on the options available to Yar’Adua, there are fears in the president’s inner circle that he may return to Nigeria and become a president lacking in crucial support as several governors and lawmakers have jumped ship.

The fear of the unsettling impact of the various developments on Yar’Adua’s absence from the country may be constituting intense pressure on the President to return to Nigeria earlier than he and his wife have envisaged and that may be as early as next week.

the saga continues.

I'm starting to believe that yaradua may soon be back

Next week like they said.

Trash,trash and trash.

Bros Abeg take am easy

this one na de spin Tanimu Yakubu and co want to use bring back sick man

make him come back then, we dey wait.

I'd bet a financial future that this is pressure from the US to "squeeze" Umaru into the limelight.


They have been annoyed at the fact that they don't have anyone to talk to (threaten) regarding home grown terrorism.

The Saudi authorities are wrong. They are not the ones to determine when a patient is dischared from hospital. The consultants and the entire medical team providing care has the final decision to make. They should stop this nonsense as enough is enough.

Double wahala for deadi bodi , the saudi royal family have come to realise that yar'adua na living co____.

Lets wait and see what happens. 2 weeks, 1 week, what does it matter. This whole saga is unfolding in our very before, abi?

So our Presido is ready for deportation?

^^^lol

netpro:

So our Presido is ready for deportation?

LWKMD

aloy-emeka:

LWKMD 

Complete bullshit!! Thisday?? Now guys, lets go back to the report.

The recommendation from the Saudi's is comming from a diplomatic source. What has 'a diplomatic source' to do with a patient in the hospoital?

Now, see this line:

"Hajia Yar’Adua, the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Abdullahi Aminchi, who was deputy to Yar’Adua as governor of Katsina State, and a few personal aides are said to be the only ones that have access to the President at the hospital. The access, is said not to always translate to influence while those with influence and constitutional authority have no access to the President in his hospital suite."

If it is true, then how come :

"THISDAY checks reveal that Yar’Adua often moves around his hospital suite unaided but may have lost as much as eight to 10 kilos of his normally lean weight, prompting his wife, Turai and family members to wanting him to regain some of his weight and stability before returning home."

You first reported that only Turai, Aminci and 'few' personal aides are the only ones that can see the guy of which Thisday is none of. How then did you see him to know that he has lost '10kilos'. To know that he moves around unaided also needs visual contact which the report says that Thisday is not meant to have. So, how come they know it and they are not even quoting Turai, Aminci nor the aides.

This is nothing but a poorly scripted lies meant to keep up the hope that YRD is still alive and concious, nothing more. And my guess is that if they are working this hard to keep the discussion about YRD at this level, common sense will suggest that the guy might be gravely incapacitated or even the other extreme,

I don tire for this kain news

This guy is dead to me

in igboland, if someone goes missing over a particular time, it will be assumed that he or she is dead and as such, a burial rite will be organised for that person to enable his/her spirit to rest in peace.
to me, what nigerians shld be thinking abt at this time is on how best to give this missing president, a befitting burial and not thinking of his coming back.
giving him a befitting burial will not stop him from been our president as that position is mearnt for him even in death.

@ topic, shouldn't topic have read
Saudi Royal Family Want Yar’adua [size=28pt]DEPORTED[/size] Back To Nigeria?

and d drama continues

I hope when he comes back to Nigeria, he's arrested for making Nigerians think he's dead.