Goodl luck Jonathan 'not spoken to yar'Adua

| Thursday April 15, 2010 00:00

Umaru Yar'Adua went to Saudi Arabia for treatment in November 2009 and despite returning home in February has still not been seen in public. Jonathan gave no indication whether the president's condition had improved.

He said he had not seen the president's doctor but said he had spoken to his wife three times. In terms of the last time we really had sustained discussions, that was 26 November. Goodluck Jonathan 'I've not seen the doctor. I have had - on about three occasions - discussions with his wife,' he told the BBC's Network Africa programme.'And I've had discussions with some of the other aides.

'In terms of the last time we [Jonathan and Yar'Adua] really had sustained discussions, that was 26 November - I think so - yeah,' he said.

Yar'Adua was flown to hospital in Saudi Arabia three days earlier, on 23 November.Jonathan said Yar'Adua's doctor had not tried to contact him.'He [the doctor] has not come to me. I don't want to compel him,' said the acting president.In his interview, Jonathan also touched on clashes in Jos, where tensions between Muslims and Christians since the start of the year have left many dead. 

He promised to prosecute those behind text messages inciting the violence, which he said was ethnic, rather than religious.He explained that most of the indigenous population in Jos were Christian, while 'some of the settlers - not all' were Muslim.'So if anything touches a settler who is a Muslim, it will be interpreted as if they are attacking the Muslims,' he said.'And if the settlers that are Muslim now touched the indigenous population that are Christian, it will be interpreted as the Christians are being attacked.' Jonathan thought the time for talking was over, and those responsible for committing crimes in Jos should be prosecuted.

'Anybody that is remotely or directly linked up with the crisis should be prosecuted,' he said.Jonathan also committed himself to pursuing electoral reform.

'Elections in Nigeria from now onwards will be free and fair,' he said. 'Your vote must count.' He said the composition of the much-criticised Independent National Election Commission (Inec) would be reviewed when the terms of many of its members end in June 2010.Last week the US government recommended that Inec Chairman Maurice Iwu, who has been blamed for the flawed elections in 2007, be replaced ahead of new polls in 2011.

'If we find people wanting, we will make changes,' said Jonathan.