Nigeria's powerful state governors said on Friday that Vice President Goodluck Jonathan should become acting president and they would urge parliament to pass a resolution to that effect next week.
    

The governors of Nigeria's 36 states are highly influential figures, some of them controlling budgets larger than those of neighbouring countries. They are key players in party conventions at which presidential candidates are chosen.
    

"We now agree to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly to pass a resolution recognising the vice president as the acting president," Bukola Saraki, chairman of the Governors' Forum, told reporters after a meeting with Jonathan.
    

"This action we believe is a way to move the nation forward before the president arrives. This we intend to do next week so that the resolution from the National Assembly will also come out next week," he said.
    

Expected letter

One of President Umaru Yar'Adua's aides said on Thursday the president would write to the Senate soon in response to the handover calls.
    

The governors' announcement further increases expectations that Yar'Adua's letter will formally notify parliament of his absence, allowing Jonathan to become acting president.
    

The constitution sets no time-frame for how long Jonathan can remain as acting head of state and in theory he could stay in place until presidential elections due in April 2011.
    

Under these circumstances he would have no deputy and could use executive powers to reshuffle the cabinet and bring in his own appointees. This would be an unwelcome situation for the group around Yar'Adua and some other factions of the northern elite.
    

The ailing leader could be brought back from Saudi Arabia to recuperate in Nigeria. It would be a symbolic presence that would go some way towards mitigating Jonathan's authority, analysts say.
    

President Umaru Yar'Adua has been in hospital in Saudi Arabia for more than two months and his failure to formally hand over to Jonathan has brought the country to the brink of a constitutional crisis.
    

The Senate, former heads of state and lawmakers, the Nigerian Bar Association and opposition have all called for Jonathan to take over as acting president.

Source: Reuters