More facts have emerged over the sudden collapse of the health of PDP Presidential candidate, Umaru Yar’Ardua, who was flown out of Nigeria last night to an undisclosed hospital in Germany for treatment. A source close to the Governor of Katsina State and PDP Presidential candidate said he had indicated his intention to step down from the race since last week because his health had failed miserably but President Obasanjo refused to let him step down, instead he promised to campaign on Yar’Ardua’s behalf in every city of Nigeria.
The former university don collapsed in Abuja yesterday as he prepared to fly to a campaign stop in the commercial city of Lagos, he could not make the trip as his kidney failed leading to his emergency hospitalization in Abuja before he was flown to Germany later last night.
Presidency officials are keeping mum on the state of health of the PDP presidential candidate, because President Obasanjo has not given any directives on what should be done, he is said to be in crucial meetings with PDP party operatives in Abuja where a decision may be taken to replace Umaru Yar’Adua. Two state governors as well as former military dictator Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida who is said to be campaigning for tenure extension to allow the PDP pick another candidate are being considered for the Presidential slot.
A medical source who was with Governor Umaru Yar’Adua yesterday said Obasanjo must have been keeping Yar’ardua in the grueling presidential race in order to let him die campaigning perhaps to enable him extend his tenure indefinitely, because according to him, every medical advice given to the president on Yar’Adua points to the fact that he cannot withstand any rigorous campaign workload required of a national presidential candidate.
Section 37 (1) of the 2006 Electoral Act grants the Independent National Electoral Commission the power to postpone elections indefinitely in case of death of one of the Presidential candidates.
The section reads: "If after the time for the delivery of nomination paper and before the commencement of the poll, a nominated candidate dies, the Chief National Electoral Commissioner or the Resident Electoral Commissioner shall, being satisfied of the fact of the death, countermand the poll in which the deceased candidate was to participate and the Commission shall appoint some other convenient date for the election.”
The Electoral Act of 2006 was enacted into law during the height of the Anti-Third term debate, it did not state for how long INEC may postpone general elections in the case of the death of a Presidential candidate.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });