The Arewa Consultative Forum, the foremost northern socio-political group, on Sunday accused members of the Executive Council of the Federation of lying to Nigerians when they announced last Wednesday that President Umaru Musa Yar'adua was fit to continue in office.
In a press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Anthony N.Z. Sani, the Arewa Forum described the action of the ministers as, "a deliberate attempt to foist falsehood on the Nigerian people".
The group said t
he ministers' resolution, "is aimed at playing down the reality of President Yar'Adua being either on vacation or incapacitated, considering the obvious fact that the President has been away from his duty post for more than two months now.This kind of resolution by the Council calls into question our leaders' commitment and adherence to constitutional governance, to the peaceful unity of the nation and to Nigeria's image in the comity of nations," the group said.
Wh
ile it only had harsh words for the Executive Council, the group expressed support for the position of Nigeria's former leaders which canvassed that Mr. Yar'Adua should handover to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan."The Arewa Consultative Forum commends the Eminent Elders Group (as symbolised by former President/Heads of State and elder Statesmen) in lending its weight to the voice of those who have been saying that the National Assembly should pressure President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to transmit a letter to its leadership to the effect that he is on vacation, or he is hospitalised, in line with Section 145 of the Constitution. This would be in the interest of constitutional democracy and in the in the interest of the nation and its economy."
