Events leading to the upgrade of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to Acting President are still very fresh in the minds of Nigerians to require repetition. As a nation, we must collectively thank God and express happiness that the foot dragging, the dangerous procrastination, the shifting of responsibility and the chain of acrimony that the matter generated has finally given way to superior wisdom.

As it were, the impasse on the transfer of authority at the highest leadership level in the country, which lasted for about three months, must be blamed on the ambiguity embedded in Sections 144 [1] of the nation's constitution on how to change the leadership when the incumbent leader is incapacitated.

Sections 144 [1] of the nation's constitution says: “The president or vice president shall cease to hold office if [a] by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of all the members of the executive council of the federation it is declared that the president or vice president is incapable of discharging the functions of his office and [b] the declaration is verified after such a medical examination as may be necessary by a medical panel established under subsection's [4] of this section in its report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”

Many questions are thrown open by this section of the constitution and these include the issue of loyalty, fear of victimization when members of the Federal Executive Council decide to oppose an incumbent, ailing president and whether the citizens of the nation can rise above pettiness and the defense of their appointments to say the truth and stand by it in keeping with the provisions of the constitution.
We are happy that the National Assembly has decided to look into some of the sections of the constitution including Sections 144 [1] that constitute a stumbling block to the advancement of the country.

The upgrade of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to acting president is a commendable action which should unite Nigerians rather than divide them on political, religious or ethnic grounds. It should be realized that in this struggle neither north nor south and neither opposition nor ruling party won the prize. The ultimate winner was the nation's constitution despite its chequered history.

We commend especially the members of the Federal Executive Council for realising that their procrastination on the matter was not doing the country any good but that the nation was sliding into an abyss from where it would have been difficult to find any rescue.
It is equally timely to commend Acting President Goodluck Jonathan for showing humility and clear headedness when he banned praise singers from making a feast and scoring cheap political points out of the up-grade when he banned newspaper adverts and congratulation visits to him at the State House by sycophants.

We pray to Almighty God to give the acting president the Wisdom of Solomon, to pilot the ship of state with candor and dexterity like a sound captain to the Promised Land. The Yar'adua administration is still running since the ticket which brought the government into office was a joint ticket. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.