Lagos — Senator Joseph Waku yesterday said former President Olusegun Obasanjo had planned and anticipated that President Umaru Yar'Adua would have died long ago while in office.

He said Obasanjo never meant well for President Yar'Adua, when he handed over power to him.

Waku, who was the Senate between 1999 and 2003, said Obasanjo handed over to Yar'Adua a "failed nation" and had not expected that he would succeed to the extent he had done so far.

He spoke while reacting to the conviction of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Bode George, who was jailed two and half years' for alleged fraudulent practices while serving as board chairman of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA).

He said the seven-point agenda of the President Yar'Adua was articulated to be executed within two terms of eight years in office, even as he urged Nigerians to forget its full realization within the first term in office.

He said Yar'Adua is currently suffering in silence given the enormous problems inherited from his predecessor who handed over to him a failed nation.

He said: "The seven point agenda to my mind is a good articulated programmes but whether Yar'Adua likes it or not, or want to protect his friend, father or boss, he inherited a failed nation and seven point agenda could not be automatic in the first four years.

"Therefore I will say that he has articulated his seven point agenda that may carry out eight years tenure to achieve that. Again I am not conscripting him into second term, it is you Nigerians and by constitutional provisions, he is entitled to a second term. But for the first four years in office, seven point agenda cannot be realized because it is difficult to rebuild than to destroy.

"As a northerner, let me be very open to you. He will never sit and criticize his predecessor. He is suffering in silence. It is you and I that will help and bring these issues out. Yar'Adua inherited a failed nation.

"In the first place Obasanjo did not believe in Yar'Adua. He did not believe that he will succeed, yes. He did not believe that he will go through it. He believes that Yar'Adua will die along the way. Quote me, I Senator Waku. That is what I said. If Obasanjo doubts it, he should take me to court. Then, we will talk where these discussions took place," he said.

Waku said Obasanjo deliberately chose Yar'Adua who was known ill at that time with the expectation that he would die as soon as he got into office. He revealed that Obasanjo had earlier promised making the former Federal Capital Territory(FCT)minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu the president of Nigeria at various times.

He said: "Why is Ribadu bitter with Yar'Adua? Why is el-Rufai bitter with Yar'Adua? He made the promises. And when they asked for the state of health, they said Yar'Adua has an unstable state of health and he said that is the man I want. He never meant well for him.

"First of all Bode George at the conference of the South in Enugu, that was televised live, said Northerners will never see the power again. He never believed in God. So Yar'Adua's presidency is an act of God".

He applauded the conviction of Chief George saying that it has increased the rating of Nigeria by international communities as a determined nation to fight all forms of corrupt practices.

He said: "Naturally when a judgment of this nature is handed down there are usually mixed feelings, jubilations for fairness and unhappiness for a bread winner had been put into incarcerations. Be that as it may I want to commend the President Yar'Adua's government, most especially the seven-point agenda with a particular reference to the rule of law for which we now see it happen.

"This judgment for those of us who had gotten involved with international business partners and political associates internationally, they believed this judgment is honest, it is a judgment that will actually promote Nigeria judiciary and uplift the confidence of all Nigerians.

"This judgment is a judgment of the millennium, a judgment that will be put on records. It is a judgment that many Nigerians will have a second thought of minimizing corruption, minimizing arrogance in office in arbitrary looting of the treasury. It is a judgment that all segment in Nigeria must see as trying to get out of the woes of those that have gone against the public fund that are set free.

"This judgment will give a deterrent to many Nigerians. This judgment has upgraded the integrity and respectability of the federal government. It is not a judgment against the Peoples PDP as a party.

"I am also calling on other high court judges to emulate the uprightness of the bench where justice has to be delivered no matter who is hurt but justice must be seen that it is being done.

"I want to commend the judicial processes, particularly upholding for the navigation into judicial hope navigated by the former Chief Justice of the federation, Justice Alfa Belgore. He started it all and wherever he is today, he will be a happy person and it was during his time that the judicial uprightness have started showing that justice should be delivered not withstanding who is hurt.

"To convict an accused person, it is not hatred it is redemption and possible remaking for intending individual groups. In an attempt to accomplish that kind of thing, so it will now give fears in the minds of Nigerians and create confidence in the eyes of international community.

"This judgment, from the phone calls I have received in and out of this country has upgraded the public opinion of President Yar'Adua. It has rated him high in the rooms of international community and many Nigerians. Law has no respecter of age. It has respect for what the law says".