By Emeka Mamah

Kaduna — Former Director-General, North-West of the Obasanjo/Atiku  Organisation during the 1999 general election and  Chairman of the Democratic  Advancement Option, DAO,  Alhaji Umar Gana, yesterday condemned the calls for the resignation of President Umaru Yar’Adua from office due a life threatening illness. He said that it was not unconstitutio-nal for a serving president to be sick.

Gana said that in America which is the bastion of democracy, several of her presidents starting from George Washington, had been afflicted with life threatening diseases while in office but they were not forced out of office, pointing out that Yar’Adua was not the first person to fall sick as president of a sovereign nation.

He spoke at a news conference and asked, “is it constitutionally wrong for the President to be sick?”

According to him, there was nowhere it was stated in the 1999 Constitution that the president, “becomes automatically indisposed,” once he seeks medical attention twice or more in a year, just as he added that it was completely out of point for people to insist that since the President is sick, the Vice-President should take over power.

Gana stressed that the President as a human being is susceptible to sickness like any other person, wondering why the reverse was  the case in the country.

According to  the DAO boss,  there were other ailing presidents like President Yar’Adua, yet the model of democracy, the United States of America stood strong behind them in periods of turmoil.

 Examples of sick presidents

“George Washington, US first President, lost his tooth to infection and accrued various affliction after taking office, including several abscesses and a life-threatening case of pneumonia.

“William Henry Harrison, US 9th President had inflamed lungs, engorged liver and stumbling delirious state; Zachary Taylor, the 12th President, had mysterious illness, which eventually resulted in terminal acute gastroenteritis; Abraham Lincoln  had tissues that was unable to flex and move like they do in a normal person; Chester Arthur, had  Bright’s  disease, a chronic inflammation of the kidneys that usually left one gasping for breath, vomiting, feverish and swollen with fluids.

“William H. Taft, the 27th President was dogged by a list of medical conditions including a severe case of hyper somnolence that made him to nod off at all hours even during conversations with world leaders. Woodrow Wilson, the President during the World War I, was incapacitated by stroke, which was hidden from  the  public  while his wife, Edith took over many of his menial presidential duties.

“Franklin D. Roosevelt, the President through the World War II was stricken  with polio unknown to the public, and chose Harry Truman as his Vice on the belief that he would die before completing his term.

Even JFK

“John F. Kennedy, painted an image of youthful vigour but contrary to that, spent much of his life in pain due to various illnesses including back troubles and a case of Addison’s disease and chronic insufficiency of the adrenal gland; Ronald Reagan, the 40th President, had severe Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancer and speculated as having  suffe-red from dementia while in office,” he added.

Gana, however, said that his group had nothing personal against the Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan.