Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that a close aide to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua deliberately blocked the submission of an important letter meant to empower him as acting president, leading to a constitutional crisis in Nigeria in 2010.

In a recent interview with the Rainbow Book Club, which gained traction on Saturday, Jonathan revealed that President Yar’Adua had written a formal letter to the National Assembly before his departure for medical treatment abroad, intending to transfer executive powers to his then-vice president. However, Jonathan mentioned that the aide tasked with delivering the letter opted not to submit it.
This decision left Nigeria without a constitutionally recognized acting president or commander-in-chief for several months, even while Yar’Adua remained incapacitated.
Jonathan explained that although he could carry out certain responsibilities as vice president — such as presiding over Federal Executive Council meetings and approving ministerial memos — he was unable to function as commander-in-chief without a formal transfer of power.
He described the resulting power vacuum as a dangerous scenario for any nation. He praised the National Assembly for invoking the “doctrine of necessity,” which enabled him to assume complete presidential powers even without a formal letter.
Jonathan explained: “There’s always a balancing between North and South, Muslims and Christians. And Yar’Adua was a Northern Muslim, serving as president. He succeeded a Southern Christian, Obasanjo, who governed for eight years.

“The Northern Muslims expected Yar’Adua to serve a full eight years before power shifted back to the South, likely to another Christian leader. However, his health complications arose, creating a significant issue. This is why even my acting as president became a contentious matter.”

He further stated: “During the year that Yar’Adua was undergoing medical examinations, a letter was drafted. According to the constitution, for the vice president to assume the role of acting president, the president must send a letter to both the Senate and the House of Representatives to notify them.

“That letter was indeed written, but the individual to whom it was given, whose name I will not disclose at this moment, was one of Yar’Adua’s aides, and he refused to deliver the letter to the National Assembly. Consequently, Yar’Adua’s health deteriorated to the point where he lost control over matters.”

Jonathan went on: “So we found ourselves in a situation where the president was incapacitated, and there was no acting president in place. As vice president, you can assume certain presidential duties. The president of Nigeria has two primary roles.
“Firstly, you serve as the chief executive of the nation, akin to a prime minister. The vice president can take on this role without any formal transfer of power. I was fulfilling this role as we conducted executive council meetings and approved memos from ministers, ensuring the government continued to function.

“However, there was no commander-in-chief. What is the second role of the Nigerian president, aside from being the executive head of the nation? There is no such thing as an acting commander-in-chief; you are either a commander-in-chief or you are not.”

He made a comparison between the situation in Nigeria and the American system: “However, when you take on the role of acting president, you also become the commander-in-chief. This element was absent, and no country allows for such a gap. In a nation like the United States, they do not accept that void at all.

“If an American president has to step away, even for a short time due to a minor health issue, he will hand over authority to the vice president before that happens. Once he is back to full health, he resumes his responsibilities. Yet, we remained in that situation for quite a long time.”

Jonathan concluded: “This situation resulted in what is known as the doctrine of necessity. When the National Assembly acknowledged that the country was in an unexpected crisis, they had to invoke this doctrine of necessity. As a result, they allowed me to act as president without an official letter from Yar’Adua.”
Yar’Adua passed away in May 2010 after a prolonged illness. Jonathan completed his term and later won the 2011 presidential election.