Saudi Arabia Rejects Yar’Adua, As Family Plans To Return Him To Hospital

Ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua, who was scheduled to be flown to Saudi Arabia this week, has been rejected by the Saudi authorities.

His family had concluded plans to return him to King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Jeddah, where he spent 93 days before he was hurriedly brought back to the country in the dead of the night last month.

P.M.NEWS can authoritatively disclose that the refusal to allow him back in the Saudi hospital, is creating panic in the Yar’Adua family and also within the fold of his allies.

According to sources close to the family in Abuja, the ailing president’s health rather than improve, has worsened since he was hurriedly transported from King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Jeddah in the early hours of 24 February, 2010 to Abuja. Yar’Adua landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja under heavy security mounted by soldiers at about 2 a.m.

Coincidentally, a six-man delegation of the Federal Executive Council was in Saudi Arabia at about 10 p.m. on the night of 23 February only to be informed by the Saudi authorities that Yar’Adua was already airborne on his way to Nigeria.

Ailing President Yar’Adua was flown out of the country on 23 November, 2009. He was said to be suffering from a heart-related disease called pericarditis. His 93-day stay in the hospital in Jeddah brought a lot of confusion in the polity and a protracted logjam. While his loyalists insisted he must continue to rule in absentia, the National Assembly refused to invoke section 145 of the constitution to remove him.

However, with rumours of a coup d’etat flying around the country, the Governors Forum backed the National Assembly and on 9 February by a unanimous resolution, the vice president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was pronounced the Acting President.

The following day, Jonathan demonstrated the power conferred upon him as acting President when redeployed the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, (AGF) Michael Aondoakaa (SAN) who had been in the forefront of Yar’Adua must remain in power.

Aondakaa, had earlier ridiculed his office and courted the anger of many Nigerians when he declared that Yar’Adua could rule as president from anywhere in the world.

Aondakaa was named Minister of Special Duties while Adetokunbo Kayode, another Senior Advocate in the cabinet took over as AGF.

Many Nigerians have been expressing outrage at all forms of lies being peddled by the Yar’Adua loyalists concerning his health since 36 days ago when he was smuggled into the country like a thief in the night.

While his loyalists have continued to announce the speedy improvement in his health, nobody has seen or spoken to him. He has not been seen in public. Not even Acting President Jonathan has seen his boss since he was smuggled into the country.

Determined to take full control of government, Jonathan on 17 March, sacked all the ministers and dissolved the Federal Executive Council, an action many Nigerians received with applause as a way out of the political impasse and power vacuum created by the ailing president’s failure to vacate power even when it is obvious he is incapacitated and cannot continue  in office.

Having failed to achieve its aim of stopping Jonathan from assuming power through the hurried movement of Yar’Adua from the Saudi hospital back to Aso Rock villa, his worsening health, sources confirmed to P.M.NEWS, has forced the family to do a rethink and plan to return him to hospital.