Moves by 200 notable lawmakers in the House of Representatives to impeach President Umaru Yar’Adua over his reluctance to hand over power to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, following his medical trip to Saudi Arabia have sent jitters down the spines of the leaders of the House, forcing them to call for a truce. 
Investigations reveal that there are several meetings held at the instance of the leaders, prevailing on the lawmakers to sheathe their sword and allow the Vice President to continue to carry on with his Presidential duties without having to compel Yar’Adua to forward the letter required by the provision of Section 145 as required by the 1999 Constitution.
The leaders of the House headed by Speaker Dimeji Bankole have not been favourably disposed to the idea of compelling the President to exercise his discretion of formally handing over power to Jonathan as enshrined in Section 145 of the constitution.
A source close to the leadership said the fear of the pro-Yar’Adua group has been that taking power back from Jonathan after the President’s sickness may not be as easy as those clamouring for his handing-over may think.
Citing similar experiences in the Republic of Cameroun in the past where Vice President Paul Biya refused to return power to President Ahmadu Ahijo after recuperating from his sickness, the source said those opposed to Jonathan’s acting bid are afraid of a repeat occurrence.
Again, the fear of changing the status quo as arranged by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the hierarchy of government should Jonathan emerge the acting President is also at the heart of the opposition against his emergence.
The leadership of the National Assembly was zoned in a similar manner to assuage the concerns of the six geo-political zones of the country and any alteration at the Presidency, it is feared, would trickle down effects on those in the parliament.
They therefore appealed to those opposed to Yar’Adua’s continued hold-on power to follow the path of constitutionality by abiding by Justice Dan Abutu’s judgment affirming that Jonathan has already begun to act with no need for formal swearing-in for that matter.
But those in the opposition, including the 200 lawmakers argued that Jonathan’s action without formal transfer of power to him would amount to unconstitutionality and as such could be reversed by Yar’Adua on his return.
They argued that obedience to the provision of Section 145 of the constitution by the President would legalise his action and confer on him the power to act.
A motion slated for the purpose of conferring such acting powers on Jonathan was stood down after a series of meetings between the two groups with the leadership compromising on the grounds that Jonathan had already been granted acting powers by Justice Abutu’s judgment.