State Chief Executives on the platform of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum on Friday stormed Aso Rock on a solidarity visit to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, who they say has welcomed their position that he starts functioning as acting President in the absence of ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua.

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The visit came a few hours after they concretised their position at a closed door meeting in one of the governor’s lodges in Abuja, where they resolved to urge the National Assembly to pass a resolution recognising Jonathan as acting President.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Jonathan, Kwara State Governor, who is also the Chairman of the forum, Buloka Saraki, and his Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Godswill Akpabio, also denied speculations of any dissenting voice from Northern governors.

According to Saraki, “we associate ourselves with the court ruling that has been given concerning the President and the Vice President and that also we now agreed to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly to urge them to pass a resolution recognising the Vice President as the acting President of the nation.

“Under the circumstances, we believe that the Vice President has been acting in that way and in order to further give more force on that, the National Assembly as well should pass an order.”

Akpabio also disclosed that “we unanimously resolved that all arms of government should support the Vice President to discharge his duties as acting President of the country.

“It is not true that northern governors said Jonathan should not act as president, the northern governors are part of the Governors’ Forum and there was no dissenting voice.”

Asked the response of Jonathan to their position, Akpabio said, “He was happy with the decision of the governors that yes, while he is praying for the President to recover that there is need for a more assertive action and for us to bring all these publications in Nigeria to an end.

“This is because we must re-emphasise that the Constitution made it clear that there is no vacuum and in order to give teeth to the fact that there must not be vacuum.”

Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke, emphasised that there ought not be a vacuum in the Presidency especially when Yar’Adua and Jonathan share a joint mandate from the electorate.

His words: “As the Governors’ Forum, we have taken a position, and we all stand by that position. We believe that at this point in time, that it is necessary that appropriate actions be taken and solutions be found, to what appears to be a problem of the existence of a vacuum.

“I don’t share the view of the existence of a vacuum, because the Vice President clearly has the same number of votes as the President, they enjoy a joint mandate.”

That is even as 82 Senators spread across different political affiliations are preparing a fresh motion, which would soon be presented in the National Assembly pressing for the impeachment of President Umaru Yar’Adua.

The resolve to forge ahead with the impeachment plan, it was learnt, was sequel to a marathon meeting with some elders from the South, who assured the Senators that militants from the Niger Delta would not foment trouble as long as the National Assembly arrives at a “political solution soonest.”

Penultimate week, in its resolution of Wednesday, January 27, the Senate urged Yar’Adua to “formally notify the National Assembly of his medical vacation pursuant to Section 145 of the Constitution.”

The Senate also directed its Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution to propose an amendment to Section 145 to resolve flaws exposed by the present circumstance.

Furthermore, Senators urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the speedy recovery of the President.

Saturday Independent gathered that Senators under the aegis of Nigeria Interest Group (NIG) are not swayed by the intervention of the Vincent Ogbulafor-led National Working Committee (NWC), which held a meeting with the PDP caucus at the residence of Senate President, David Mark.

The PDP NWC met with PDP Senators, who are 91 out of 109 members and asked for a one-week grace to meet with Yar’Adua in Saudi Arabia. The NWC is expected to meet with the PDP caucus on its return from the trip.

The original plan of the NIG, it was learnt, would proceed with the preparation of a fresh motion and also, collation of a fresh list of those pushing for the impeachment of Yar’Adua over his refusal to comply with Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.

It was also gathered that there may be a reactivation of an initial motion to compel the chamber to probe how the President signed the 2009 Supplementary Budget (II) on his sick bed in Saudi Arabia.

“The initial intention was to raise a motion to ask how the President signed the 2009 Supplementary Budget, which would have ended in either a probe or would have been sent to die at the Ethics Committee. We were prepared to push for the invitation of presidential aides in connection with the signing of the document,” Saturday Independent was told.

Barring any change of plans and subject to approval of the Senate leadership, the impeachment motion may be presented between Tuesday, February 16 and Thursday 18.

Yar’Adua left the country on medical trip to Saudi Arabia on November 23, 2009 without transmitting a letter to the National Assembly to pave way for Jonathan to act on his behalf according to Section 145 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His delay in returning to duty and without anyone constitutionally acting on his behalf has drawn criticisms across the land.