/ 22 January 2010

Nigerian president urged to resign

Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo says the country’s sick leader should follow the “path of honour” and resign if he is too ill to lead.

Obasanjo hand-picked Umaru Yar’Adua to successfully run for president in 2007 after losing his own effort to seek a third term.

In comments on Thursday in Abuja, Obasanjo said he had thought Yar’Adua was healthy enough to lead when he backed him in the election.

Yar’Adua left Nigeria for treatment in Saudi Arabia for a heart condition in late November. He has yet to return.

His absence has sparked street protests, including one Thursday in Lagos. — Sapa