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| Nigeria deputy 'has full powers' | Nigeria deputy 'has full powers' |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Nigeria's deputy leader Goodluck Jonathan is still the country's acting president while Umaru Yar'Adua is sick, the information minister has said. | Nigeria's deputy leader Goodluck Jonathan is still the country's acting president while Umaru Yar'Adua is sick, the information minister has said. |
| Dora Akunyili was speaking amid confusion about who wields power in Nigeria after President Yar'Adua unexpectedly returned home. | |
| Earlier an official statement pointedly referred to Mr Jonathan as vice-president, giving him far less power. | Earlier an official statement pointedly referred to Mr Jonathan as vice-president, giving him far less power. |
| Some fear a power struggle is under way between rival power brokers. | Some fear a power struggle is under way between rival power brokers. |
| Presidential powers | |
| In a clear statement, the information minister insisted that Mr Jonathan retained power. | |
| ANALYSIS Caroline Duffield, BBC News, Abuja | |
| The surprise return of the president was a calculated fight-back staged by his closest allies. | |
| They - and the vested interests behind them - have carefully watched Goodluck Jonathan take on the job of acting president. On returning, they publicly called him the vice-president. | |
| Many people say this was an overt attempt to regain power. Others suggest it was a display - intended to warn Mr Jonathan that the ultimate power, the military, is with the Yar'Adua group. | |
| They believe Mr Jonathan will now have to do a deal with the president's friends, and will serve as acting president only to do their bidding. | |
| It is uncertain whether power really has shifted in this country. | |
| "Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the acting president, is in charge," Ms Akunyili told Reuters news agency. | "Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the acting president, is in charge," Ms Akunyili told Reuters news agency. |
| "There is no way he can go back to vice-president without going through the process that made him acting president." | "There is no way he can go back to vice-president without going through the process that made him acting president." |
| The BBC's Caroline Duffield in the capital, Abuja, says the status of acting president is critical. | The BBC's Caroline Duffield in the capital, Abuja, says the status of acting president is critical. |
| She says an acting president can sign legislation, chair cabinet meetings, reshuffle ministers and release oil funds. | She says an acting president can sign legislation, chair cabinet meetings, reshuffle ministers and release oil funds. |
| Until he was formally made acting president earlier this month, he had enjoyed only a ceremonial role since Mr Yar'Adua went for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia last November. | Until he was formally made acting president earlier this month, he had enjoyed only a ceremonial role since Mr Yar'Adua went for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia last November. |
| On his return on Tuesday, the presidency called him vice-president and only said he would "continue to oversee the affairs of state". | On his return on Tuesday, the presidency called him vice-president and only said he would "continue to oversee the affairs of state". |
| Tussle for power | |
| Mr Yar'Adua's condition is unknown and he has not been seen in public since 23 November. | |
| No-one, not even Mr Jonathan, has seen the severely ill president since he returned to Nigeria, our correspondent says. | |
| Behind the scenes, this is all about a ferocious scramble for power and access to Nigeria's vast oil revenues, she adds. | |
| Nigerians fear Mr Yar'Adua is controlled by those around him. His wife, Turai Yar'Adua, has emerged as a dominating figure, and stands accused of running the government in all but name. | |
| YAR'ADUA ILLNESS TIMELINE 23 Nov 2009: Goes to hospital in Saudi Arabia26 Nov: Doctors say he has pericarditis, a heart problem23 Dec: First court case filed urging him to step down12 Jan: President gives telephone interview from Saudi Arabia27 Jan: Cabinet declares president fit9 Feb: Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan made acting president24 Feb: Yar'Adua returns Profile: President Umaru Yar'Adua Q&A: Nigeria political crisis Suffering and cursing in Nigeria Yar'Adua returns: Your comments | |
| For two days no-one has been able to say who holds power and it remains unclear what should happen next. | |
| "We do not think he [Mr Yar'Adua] has the capacity today," Osita Okechukwu of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, a group representing opposition parties, told the BBC on Wednesday. | |
| "We are appealing to him, and his handlers, that he should honourably resign his appointment." | |
| Late on Wednesday, the Senate sought to avoid a repeat of the constitutional uncertainty by voting to force future leaders who are sick to step aside after 14 days' absence from office. | Late on Wednesday, the Senate sought to avoid a repeat of the constitutional uncertainty by voting to force future leaders who are sick to step aside after 14 days' absence from office. |
| However, this has to be approved by the House of Representatives and two-thirds of state legislatures. | However, this has to be approved by the House of Representatives and two-thirds of state legislatures. |