Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abuja (Agenzia Fides)- “I am deeply saddened by the death of President Umaru Yar'Adua, I offer my condolences to the family, especially to the deceased President's mother who is still alive ” Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, of Abuja, capital of Nigeria, told Fides.
“At the political level I would say that Nigeria has been in an institutional limbo, because of the President's lengthy illness” the Archbishop continued. “I sincerely hope the new Head of State will guarantee free and fair elections. Nigerians desire and are able to vote in a manner which is free and transparent. The difficulty is posed by the political class which tends to manipulate elections for its own interests. The time has come to put an end to this system and to allow the Nigerian people to freely express its will ” the Archbishop of Abuja concludes.
President Yar'Adua died yesterday, 5 May, after a lengthy illness which, in November 2009, forced him to seek hospital treatment in Saudi Arabia. In February this year he returned but was prevented by a worsening condition from fulfilling his institutional duties. Vice president Goodluck Jonathan had been nominated acting President ad Interim, with an institutional subterfuge, because Yar'Adua never wrote the letter passing power to his Vice president, as foreseen by Nigeria's Constitution. Today Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as the nation's new President. His mandate will end in April 2011. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 6/5/2010)
