The North,Ojukwu,Soyinka and Buhari move agaist Yar'adua tomorrow.

NOBEL laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and former presidential candidate of All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), will tomorrow lead other eminent Nigerians to the National Assembly to protest against the continued absence of President Umaru Yar'Adua from the country.

It was also learnt that Northern elders will also meet in Kaduna tomorrow on an action plan for the area in view of Yar'Adua's prolonged stay outside the country.


The meeting which was said to have been initiated by the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, would also make recommendations on major political issues and the constitutional steps to be taken by the North

The march on Abuja

The mass action which is being organised under the auspices of Save Nigeria Group (SNG), tomorrow makes 51 days of Yar'Adua's absence from the country without any formal handover to Vice-President Jonathan Goodluck.

Others that would take part in the rally are Dim Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Dr. Tunde Bakare, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana and Prof. Pat Utomi, among many other eminent personalities.

The statement by SNG condemned the orchestra of deception by Federal Government officials, Governors' Forum and the National Assembly to cover the "embarrassing and unconstitutional" absence of the President.

Besides Yar'Adua illness question, others issues such as, Electoral Reforms, terror-tag on Nigerians, and corruption in the country have been slated to be addressed.


A member of the group, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, said in Enugu yesterday that Soyinka and Buhari volunteered to lead the protest to save the country from a dangerous slide to a failed State and quasi-dictatorship, arising from power vacuum that was created by the absence of the president from the country since the past 50 days.

He listed the unintended consequences of Yar'Adua's absence so far to include the awkward swearing of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) by a sitting CJN, alleged forgery of 2009 Supplementary Budget, collapse of Niger Delta, blacklisting of Nigeria by the United States and the inertia in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

According to the SNG members, the options open to the National Assembly on the worrisome development, include the invitation of the Vice-President to explain the whereabouts of the President, invitation of the Personal Physician of the President or visit to Saudi Arabia to ascertain his true state of health and impeachment.

North plots way forward


The meeting which was said to have been initiated by the umbrella organisation of all northern cultural associations, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, would also make recommendations on major political issues and the constitutional steps to be taken by the North.

ACF is said to be concerned that constitutional approach should be adopted in the resolution of the quagmire brought about by the President's absence even as many groups and individuals plotted various schemes and strategies regarding the offices of the president and his vice but the National Publicity Secretary of the organisation, Mr. Anthony Sani, is insisting that the meeting is mainly to "consider reports from the planning committee on the 10th Anniversary celebrations of ACF".

I support all actions aimed at making life better for the people, but I do not support such actions if they tend to be confrontational for selfish purposes only. These great men can sit in Lagos and draft a powerful memo to the VP and NASS and send it with fanfare. THEY KNOW ALL THE AVENUES OF GETTING GOVERNMENT TO DO AS THEY WISH. To go to Abuja and confront a possible security blockade that could warrant the use of force is not a sound idea. We lost many brilliant sons of Nigeria that way and nothing came of it. Why pay 20 times for one brand of experience? Paying even 2x is the action of a fool. NO MATTER HOW EARLY ONE STARTS A JOURNEY, SOMEONE HAD ALREADY SLEPT ON THE ROAD.