Abuja — President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua ought to have formally handed over the reins of power to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan before embarking on overseas medical treatment. This was the position of the Unity Forum, which said that would have saved the country the present confusion.

Chairman of the forum, Alhaji Musa Maigida Abdu, disclosed this during a courtesy visit of the forum to LEADERSHIP's corporate headquarters in Abuja yesterday.

He said that though the forum does not support the strident outcry for the president's resignation, it had expected the Federal Executive Council to be more forthright on the issue because it is saddled with the highest responsibility constitutionally.

Abdu urged the president to take a decisive position in his ability to continue or not since those charged with that responsibility have failed. Rather, he should vigorously pursue electoral reforms with all honesty.

On why the forum has not transformed into a political party, the chairman said that would have limited its function because people would see it as either a ruling party or doing what it does because it had lost elections. He, therefore, urged Nigerians who believe in 'Nigeria First' to join hands in saving the nation from the cabalh

"Time has come for democrats in the country to close ranks, as election year is just around the corner," he added.

Disagreeing that Nigeria is either running a transitional democracy or is rather in a learning process, Abdu said those are mere expressions used by dishonest politicians to continue perpetrating evil.

The chairman also regretted that political parties in Nigeria have not been able to do what is expected of them, saying the opposition have become even worse as they pull on one another to condone and support the wrongdoing of the ruling party.

He dismissed as unconstitutional any arrangement, whether zoning or rotational that is not democratic.

He assured that the forum is for national interest as it always shows interest in both national and international issues, especially those that affect Nigerians directly.