By: Ibrahim Egboli

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Abuja on Tuesday to demand the impeachment of President Umaru Yar’Adua over his long absence from office.

Speakers at the rally on the state of the nation in organised by the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), a group of prominent Nigerians, also demanded constitutional and accountable leadership from the Federal Government.

Major personalities at the event attended by hundreds of protesters include Prof. Wole Soyinka, Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Days Assembly, Mr Femi Falana, Hajia Naja’atu Mohammed and Mr Uche Onyeagucha.

Others are Mr Auwal Musa-Rafsanjani of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Alhaji Buba Galadima of The Buhari Campaign Organisation and Mr Yinka Odumakin of the Civil Libertis Organisation (CLO).

Soyinka led the protesters from the Unity Fountain, a recreational centre in central Abuja over a distance of about three kilometres, to the National Assembly, where participants prevented Speaker Dimeji Bankole from addressing the rally.

``This rally is a wake up call from our long harmattan sleep to the spring of popular participation and good governance,’’ Soyinka said.

He explained that it was a global norm that the pople could take to the streets when elected representatives dragged their feet on issues that affect the governance of the society.

He argued that the country had been besieged by internal colonialism, and that the people were dignified beings who needed to know information about President Umaru Yar’Adua and the government.

``The nation is sick of extra-judicial killings among us, rising corruption in public service and unacceptable level of unemployment,’’ he said.

Falana, who disclosed that similar protests would hold on Friday in London and the US, said ``we must begin a process of making our leaders more responsive and accountable to the people’’.

Mohammed said the rally was the beginning of the process that would to the emancipation of Nigerians, and that the people deserved the kind of treatment that Yar’Adua got in Saudi Arabia.

``The National Assembly should commence the process of impeachment against Yar’Adua, because he has abdicated his duty as provided by the Constitution which he swore to uphold,’’ she said.

Bakare, who cautioned Nigerians against any religious or ethnic interpretation of the rally, and that it had nothing to do with the interest of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.

``The presidency is not a birth right; it is not hereditary; it is constitutional and Yar’Adua is not fit to occupy that office.

``Even if the president is on leave, he must transmit his authority to the vice president; power vacuum is the latest affliction on the country,’’ he said.

Galadima frowned at the extension of the lifespan of the 2009 budget to March 2010, adding: ``We need transparency, constitutionality, accountability and the rule of law’’.

There was a mild drama toward the end of the protest as Soyinka asked the audience three time as to whether or not Bankole should be allowed to talk to the crowd and the answer ``No’’ rented the air.

Mr Femi Falana, Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, however,  commended the Nigeria Police Force for the orderly manner it discharged its duty during the rally.

According to Falana, the police were orderly and controlled the crowd effortlessly with professionalism and without the use of force or teargas.

``A truckload of them waved to the rally on our way to the National Assembly to show their support; we want to appreciate the way and manner in which they conducted this gathering today,’’ he said.

``We are also saying Nigeria is not a terrorist country; the U.S. is simply telling us to take our destiny in our hands,’’ he said.

Falana also said there is a rally going on simultaneously in Dubai today by Nigerians in that country while Nigerians in the UK and the US  will stage their rally this Friday.

Mr Ayo Afolabi, the National Secretary of Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), in a remark at the occasion, urged the National Assembly to act fast on the prolonged absence of Yar’adua from office.

“I want to call on the ruling class to tell us whether the president is alive or not. If he is, let them act on what the constitution demands from them in this situation,” he said.

Placards displayed by protesters carried such inscriptions as ``Umaru, where are you; Let Yar’Adua speak to Nigerians; we are not a terrorist nation; Leaders: be selfless, seek Nigeria’s interest first, whi is James Ibori a free man, and let’s kill corruption before it kills us’’.

“We can’t continue to run without a Head of State. When a particular office holder is going on leave, he must hand over to someone to ensure smooth running of the office.

``But President Yar’adua has been away for 50 days without any trace of his where about and no reliable information is coming forth from his end,” Head of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Information unit, Mr. Owei Lakemfa said.

It a swift reaction, the five area councils in the Federal Capital Territory organised a similar protest in support of the government, alleging that the demand for the president's impeachment was instigated by opposition parties.