The Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN), yesterday, told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that President Umaru Yar’Adua would neither resign his office nor allow his Vice, Dr. Jonathan Goodluck, to act as President for a second on account of his health.
According to the nation’s Chief Law Officer, President Yar’Adua was not suffering from infirmity of body or mind as to render him permanently incapable of discharging the functions of his office from anywhere in the world.
He said the Federal Executive Council, FEC, which is a creation of the Nigerian constitution, had, on December 2 invoked its powers under Section 144 (1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution to pass a resolution and declared Yar’Adua fit to continue governance.
He added that Vice-President Goodluck was at the FEC meeting where the resolution was passed and that he played a prominent role to shoot down the call for Yar’Adua’s resignation or wholesale transfer of presidential powers to him (VP), in acting capacity.
Aondoakaa spoke yesterday in court at hearings in a suit filed by a Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, and another by Honourable Farouk Adamu Aliyu and a lawyer, Mr Hussaini Gabbas
Falana is asking the court to compel President Yar’Adua to transmit a written information to the National Assembly about his ill-health to enable the two chambers of the National Assembly empower Vice-President Jonathan Goodluck to take over governance and discharge the function of office of the President in the capacity of Acting President.
He said he wanted the court to move in his favour so as to legalise all decisions including contract awards being taken at FEC meetings under the chairmanship of Goodluck, who he said allegedly has no such authority to do so.
Aliyu, in his own suit, being prosecuted by the chambers of Mr. Bamidele Aturu is asking the Federal High Court to declare President Yar’Adua unfit to continue governance in view of his absence from duty for over 30 days and wanted a consequential order compelling Jonathan to step in and perform the presidential functions.
AG wants suits dismissed
The Attorney-General of the Federation, who attacked the competence of the two suits, yesterday, on the grounds that the plaintiffs lacked the locus to invoke the judicial powers of the court, also argued that there was no need for Yar’Adua to inform the National Assembly about his ill-health since he was and is still exercising the functions of his office through the Vice-President and his ministers as enshrined in Section (5) (1) and Section 148 (1) of the 1999 Constitution.
Section 5 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria reads:
“Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the executive powers of the Federation
(a) Shall be vested in the President and may subject as aforesaid and to the provisions of any law made by the National Assembly be exercised by him either directly or through the Vice- President and Ministers of the Government of the Federation or officers in the public service of the Federation and
(b) Shall extend to the execution and maintenance of this constitution , all laws made by the National Assembly and to all manners with respect to which the National Assembly has, for the time being power to make laws
Section 148 (1) of the 1999 Constitution also reads:
(1) The President may, in his discretion, assign to the Vice-President or any Minister of the Government of the Federation responsibility for any business of the Government of the Federation including the administration of any department of government.
‘Calls for Yar’Adua’s resignation uncalled for’
He told the court that President Yar’Adua has since been delegating the powers of his office to members of FEC including the Vice-President.
He said the calls by some Nigerians and the reliefs being sought in the pending suits before the court to either resign his office or inform the National Assembly of his ill-health to allow Jonathan take over as Acting President were unnecessary.
He argued that in the first place, the case of Yar’Adua’s health was not that bad to necessitate the invocation of Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.
He said assuming without conceding that it was that bad, the invocation of the provision of Section 145 which is one of the principal reliefs being sought by the suits, is discretionary.
The said Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution reads: “Whenever the President transmits to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary such functions shall be discharged by the Vice-President as Acting President.”
Aondoakaa said Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution needed not be invoked before Vice-President Jonathan could perform the functions of the President.
He said the 1999 Constitution which created the Office of the Vice-President did not assign any duty to him (VP) but that the occupant of the office is empowered to perform any presidential functions assigned to him by Mr President.
He further told the court that it, therefore, followed that all the functions which at present being performed by Vice-President Goodluck were in accordance with the provisions of sections 5 (1) and 148 (1) of the 1999 Constitution including presiding over the meetings of the Federal Executive Council, FEC.
He said it could not be true that it is illegal for Vice-President Goodluck to preside over FEC meetings except in his capacity as acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“This section, therefore, does not delineate the scope of the powers that may be assigned by the President or the manner for such assignment,” he said.
Aondoakaa added that if it were, the constitution would expressly have stated that even if Mr President is assigning the performance of any of his presidential functions to his vice while he is unavailable, that power delegation shall not cover presiding over FEC.
VP acts at President’s discretion, says AG
He said all the presidential functions being performed by VP Jonathan were legal because the President allowed him to so perform them in compliance with sections 5(1) and 148 (1) of the 1999 Constitution.
Aondoakaa said Falana’s suit seeking to compel Yar’Adua to comply with Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution by informing the National Assembly of his ill-health to allow the two chambers pass a resolution to empower VP Jonathan to act as acting President was not only laughable but already overtaken by events for two reasons.
First, he said the provisions in Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution are neither mandatory nor directory but simply discretionary.
SOURCE: vanguardngr.com
I agree with Aondoakaa(SAN) let mr president continued if he want to dont judge him bcause of his ill-health let mr president (yar’Adua) decide.
why wont he resign what did the take nigerians for
the first lady is byting more than he can chew