Nigeria's vice-president Goodluck Jonathan has taken over presidential powers while president Umaru Yar'Adua is undergoing treatment for acute pericarditis in Saudi Arabia, a presidential spokesman said today.
Mr Yar'Adua (58) went to Saudi Arabia suddenly on Monday for medical checks after complaining of severe chest pains and his office said it was not clear when he would return home.
Pericarditis is an inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart that can restrict normal beating.
Mr Jonathan has assumed presidential powers in the leading sub-Saharan oil producer and Opec member nation during Mr Yar'Adua's treatment, presidential spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi said.
"The vice president is now acting on behalf of the president," he said.
Mr Yar'Adua has travelled to Saudi Arabia in the past for treatment for a chronic kidney problem, raising questions about whether he will be fit enough to stand for a second term in 2011 elections.
"The medical review and tests undertaken at the hospital have confirmed the initial diagnosis that the president is indeed suffering from acute pericarditis," the spokesman said after speaking with the president's chief physician.
"He is now receiving treatment for the illness and he is responding remarkably well," he said, adding he was unsure when Mr Yar'Adua would be able to return to Nigeria.
Reuters