At last, President Umaru Yar'Adua yesterday finally bowed to pressure and recognised Goodluck Jonathan as acting president and commander in chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
A statement issued on Wednesday announcing the arrival of President Yar'Adua repeatedly addressed Jonathan as vice president, a development that caused great apprehension in the corridors of power and the postponement of the weekly Executive Council (EC) meeting scheduled for the day.
Analysts told BusinessDay last night that the decision of the cabal who had held the nation hostage in the past three moths was a soft landing end-game. According to the analysts, Jonathan should seize the opportunity and exert the power and influence as given to him by the National Assembly and the Federal Executive Council to steer the ship of state.
Olusegun Adeniyi, presidential spokesman, said in statement last night: "The acting president and commander in chief Dr. Jonathan continues to run the affairs of the country until the president is fit to takeover. The [Wednesday] statement is very clear that the acting president continues to run the affairs of the nation and that remains the situation as far as I am concerned and as far as the president is concerned". He told State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, that Yar'Adua had always recognised Jonathan as acting president anytime he was out of the country. Adeniyi who said Yar'Adua and Jonathan enjoy "very cordial relations" added: "I know for a fact that when the president was in Saudi Arabia medical reports of the president were being sent to the acting president on the instruction of the president. The last one was last Friday.
Dr. Salisu, the president's chief physician, sent it to the acting president through the ambassador. I was copied, I have a copy of the medical report on the president's health and if you read the letter sent by the president he addressed Dr. Jonathan as the acting president. I have a copy of the letter". "They have always had a cordial relationship and I also know for a fact that several times in the council when the president was presiding he always said it that anytime he is not around no memo should wait for him, that they should go to the acting president, then the VP and also when there was friction between ministers and ministers of state, he mentioned the kind of cordial relationship he had with Dr. Goodluck Jonathan then as his vice president. That anytime he is not around no memo should wait for him.
So, as far as I am concerned, they had a very cordial relationship," Adeniyi said.
Asked what would then be the fate of President Yar'Adua aides, he said: "We run one presidency and the acting president has already called for a meeting and I believe the meeting will hold tomorrow [today] to brief us on how things will go and how he will run the presidency and everybody is included, especially those who just returned from Saudi Arabia. So its just one presidency and we are all under Dr. Jonathan now as the acting president and commander in chief until the president returns to office fully".
Source: Finally, Yar'Adua bows to pressure, hands over power to Jonathan (http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8827:finally-yaradua-bows-to-pressure-hands-over-power-to-jonathan&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18)