We indeed live in interesting times as the caretakers of ailing Umaru Yar'Adua sometime last week allowed some of his close associates and religious leaders a sneak visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, and events afterwards have dispelled any illusions regarding the motives for the visit.

The fact that these wise men have placed more emphasis not on the health condition of the man they supposedly saw in the villa but on the need for the new Executive Council of the Federation not to invoke Section 144 of the Constitution speaks volumes. 

For those who may not be aware, Section 144 allows EXCOF to initiate the process that may lead to the removal of a President on the ground of incapacitation and the fear is that with a new EXCOF supposedly owing allegiance to Jonathan Goodluck, Umaru Yar'Adua's may be removed from office. 

The religious leaders amongst these wise men have been quick to go public with their opposition to any such moves by the incoming EXCOF especially as the major national dailies and the Hausa Service of the BBC have been awash with their views which have in turn elicited responses from many quarters. 

The core of the submissions of these wise men is that with Jonathan Goodluck being able to exercise all the powers of the office of President, nothing should be done to remove Umaru Yar'Adua from office as President even if he is unable to resume office by the time his four year tenure expires in May 2011. 

I do not have any problems with the position taken by these wise men regarding their desire to see Umaru Yar'Adua imprisoned in the Presidential Villa for the remaining of his tenure even if he remains incapacitated although my position is based on entirely different reasons. 

Having Umaru Yar'Adua and his caretakers’ next door keeps Jonathan Goodluck focused on taking action that is in the best interest of Nigerians rather than wasting precious time politicking, not minding the occasional mischief that his caretakers may embark on from time to time. 

But what is distasteful is the attempt by these wise men to blackmail or threaten untold consequences should EXCOF proceed to invoke Section 144 and Umaru Yar'Adua is removed from office implying that only his death can result in the declaration of Jonathan Goodluck as the substantive President. 

What is even more distasteful is the admission by one of these wise men that they had earlier had audience with Aliyu Gasau, the National Security Adviser and Goodluck Jonathan, the Acting President where these concerns and threats were restated to the hearing of these two men. 

In addition they also voiced their opposition to sanctioning military officers of a particular religious persuasion, who are being blamed for the last Jos mayhem, implying that even if these officials were found to be culpable, the authorities should take no action so as not to stir religious disharmony. 

I want to commend Jonathan Goodluck for his patient and accommodating nature notwithstanding all the insults, shame, humiliations, threats and such other acts he has had to endure since the start of the Umaru Yar'Adua saga including the ignominy of being made aware that he is not a trusted deputy. 

When you add the shame by the Governors Forum that he is a man who cannot be trusted with being a substantive President and the double disgrace of having soldiers deployed and Umaru Yar'Aduang smuggled into Aso Rock without his knowledge, you get the impression thathe is a weakling.

But behind all these are values and principles which depict Jonathan Goodluck as a man of restraint and resolve who in spite of the awesome Presidential powers at his disposal chooses to focus on the needful while initially ignoring the insults and threats being hauled in his direction. 

And going by how he handled the excesses of the former EXCOF by its eventual dissolution, we may be in for a surprise as he patiently responds in the fullness of time to these challenges, as we may yet be witnessing what may eventually go down in history as the Goodluck Jonathan era.

"We must be the change we want to see in the world."  - Mahatma Gandhi

Kingsley Omose <kingsleyomose@gmail.com>