11 January 2010
Yar’Adua is Incapacitated, Nigerian Newspaper Says
ABUJA, Nigeria
Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua is brain-damaged and can no longer perform the duties of his office, a Nigerian newspaper reported Sunday.
The newspaper, Next, said President Yar’Adua is so incapacitated that he is no longer able to speak or recognize anyone, including his wife Turai Yar’Adua. The paper also claimed that the first lady had barred all visitors from seeing the ailing president, allowing in only three aides and one legislator.
President Yar’Adua has been absent from Nigeria since November 23, 2009, when he was admitted in a Saudi clinic for a heart aliment.
Pressure has been mounting on his government to arrange for Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to take over as President. [GR]