Lagos protest to go ahead tomorrow--as word spreads that Yar'adua has lung cancer

Members of the Save Nigeria Group today confirmed to Saharareporters that the huge mass protest they have planned for Lagos tomorrow will go ahead.  The largest turnout so far is expected.  The rally and expectations of a federal high court decision following a lawsuit filed by Honorable Adamu Farouk and Ahaji Gabba are the biggest events expected tomorrow in Nigeria
In that lawsuit, filed by human rights attorney, Bamidele Aturu, the complainants are asking the Federal High Court to compel ailing Nigerian leader, Umaru Yar’Adua to hand power over to his deputy as prescribed by the 1999 constitution.

 The decision of the judge, if favorable to Adamu Farouk, would upstage an earlier ruling last week that rendered Jonathan Goodluck incapable of exercising the power of president as Acting President following Yar’Adua’s refusal to comply with Section 145 of the constitution.

Yar’Adua’s left Nigeria on November 23, 2009—about 60 days ago—and had not communicated with his deputy or ministers until two weeks ago two weeks ago when he reportedly spoke with principal officers of the National Assembly in a telephone call that had so far not been confirmed by the Senate president, David Mark.

Last week, it what appears to be a staged phone call, the Hausa service operatives of the BBC news in the UK spoke to Yar’Adua in a three-minute phone interview, which resulted from several days of negotiation between Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi and the BBC’s Mansur Liman, who has been described as Tanimu’s lackey.  Liman is also an indigene of Katsina, Yar’Adua’s home state. 

The interview, in which Yar’Adua sounded very appeared weak and unstable, went ahead after Yar’Adua’s handlers successfully rejected a more credible way of conducting the interview, which would have had a BBC female reporter, based in Saudi Arabia, conduct a physical interview.  The chosen format confirmed the fears of most Nigerians that Yar’Adua is in such a poor shape they do not want anyone to see him.

Since that much-criticized interview, Yar’Adua’s kitchen cabinet members have continued trying to push back a lot of opposition by claiming their principal is recovering very fast and will return to Nigeria “very soon”.

Meanwhile, there are new concerns that Yar’Adua has lung cancer in addition to Churg Struass disease, an affliction that has spread to his heart. Although his handlers claim that he is recovering, they did not tell anyone how his current condition will permit his returning to the rigours of executive office. 

Saharareporters sources insist that contrary to the propaganda being spread by his handlers, Yar’Adua’s health condition continues to be very bad and that what his kitchen cabinet members refer to as “tremendous recovery” may have been drug-induced, which can only last for short periods of time. 

The kitchen cabinet members have so far succeeded in bribing members of the National Assembly to do their bidding.  Our source in Abuja said even the so-called 60 senators claiming to be fighting Yar’Adua are just angling to get a bigger chunk of the bribe monies in circulation. The sources warned Nigerians not to be carried away by the National Assembly members as that could lead them to lower their guards in fighting the tiny cabal holding the nation to ransom at the moment.

Meanwhile, the dominos have continued to fall.  A planned delegation to Jeddah purportedly set up to pay a solidarity visit to Jeddah has not been able to agree on the composition of the group, close to two weeks after the House of Representatives came up with the resolution to visit Jeddah. 

Similarly, a National media crew comprising of television and radio reporters assembled to visit Yar’Adua in Jeddah has been dropped, as has the conference call Yar’Adua was said to have planned to make to the Federal Executive Council.

All these bizarre developments, which curiously mean that nobody can claim to have laid eyes on Yar’Adua, are taking place as Nigeria remains in limbo and crises are erupting in every corner. The First Lady, Turai Yar’Adua, is said to be building underground safes in Katsina where a lot of hard cash has been moved in recent days, according to businessmen linked with the family. The safes are said to be similar to the ones built in Babangida’s hilltop mansion in Minna, Niger State.

Yar’Adua’s supporters are confident that they will be able to bring him back dead or alive to retake power by the end of January 2010. The return date was to be announced yesterday (Tuesday) but had to be postponed pending the forthcoming court ruling on Thursday by Justice Dan Abutu.

The Lagos rally, which is scheduled to start at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church in Ikeja at 10:00 a.m.,is expected to be attended and addressed by Femi Falana, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Olisa Agbakoba, Ayo Obe, Odia Ofeimun, General Alanni Akinrinnade (rtd), Osita Okechukwu, Pat Utomi, Salihu Lukman, Farouk Adamu, Buba Galadima, Tunji Abayomi amongst others.

Also on Friday in New York, a rally will take place in front of the Nigerian consulate in Manhattan.  It is being organized by the Nigeria Democratic Liberty forum (NDLF).  Protesters will gather at 10:00a.m.

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