Northern monarchs, leaders give Turai options •‘Move Yar’Adua to Germany or Katsina’ •President’s mother at Villa, prefers Katsina
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Written by Taiwo Adisa

FOLLOWING indications that ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua is not in a position to return to office in the nearest future, some Northern leaders and monarchs have resolved to make representations to the First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua, to either take her husband for further treatment in Germany or relocate him to Katsina.

The decision by Northern leaders was sequel to a visit by a six-member delegation of senators, which visited some palaces in the North earlier in the week.

The delegation, led by Senator Abubakar Gada (PDP, Sokoto), visited the palaces of top monarchs and opinion leaders to explain the position taken by the Senate to empower Dr Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President.

It was gathered that the team, made up mainly of Northern senators, also included a South-South senator, who was one of the champions of the motion that recently empowered Dr. Jonathan, as acting president.

Sources said that while the delegation principally visited the leaders to explain the developments in Abuja, the discussions also included the sudden return of President Yar’Adua and the refusal of his handlers to allow anybody to have access to him.

Sources said in Abuja that the delegation visited the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saa’ad Abubakar, among other Northern leaders.

It was gathered that discussions centered on the need to stabilise the polity in the wake of the tense situation that greeted the long absence of President Yar’Adua.

Sources confirmed to the Nigerian Tribune that most of the leaders consulted agreed that the time was ripe for Turai to either move her husband to Germany for further treatment or move him to Katsina.

Hajia Dada, the matriarch of the Yar’Adua family, who also arrived in Abuja on Wednesday night, was said to have gone to the Federal Capital with a message to Turai that the ailing president be moved to Katsina for prayers and further treatment.

Sources said that one of the prominent monarchs insisted that the unfolding circumstances had confirmed that the ailing president needed more time to recuperate and that his presence at the Presidential Villa could be a source of distraction in the power arrangement.

The said monarch was said to have offered to discuss with Hajia Turai and convey the general opinion in the North to her.

When the said monarch was asked if he could go to Abuja to directly talk to the first lady, a source said that the leader insisted he was going to discuss with her on the phone and send messages through other sources.

Sources said that the monarch was reluctant in meeting Turai, because he and others who offered to visit Yar’Adua in Saudi Arabia were turned down by the first lady.

According to a source: “The delegates noticed that the respected monarch was not at ease when one of the members suggested he should directly intervene and speak with Turai in Abuja. We later remembered that the monarch in question was one of those leaders who offered to visit Yar’Adua in Saudi Arabia but were turned down by the first lady.

“Though he feels for the president, he believes that there should not be direct interaction with the first lady for now.”

Also, on Thursday, the Senate restated its resolve to back Acting President Jonathan and urged Nigerians to support him to make a success of his tenure.

Senate spokesman, Senator Ayogu Eze, who addressed Senate correspondents, said that the upper chamber was in support of the decision by Jonathan to establish a Presidential Advisory Council (PAC).

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