President Umaru Yar'Adua in healthier days. Photo credit: World Economic Forum

For the past several months, Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua has been out of the country and out of touch, prompting rumours and speculation hat he was at best, ailing, at worst, dead.

Now, Nigerian newspaper editors and media leaders are calling on the absentee leader to figure himself out. The 22 representatives of the media industry, in a letter, gave the leader seven days to decide whether he still wants to – and can – be president.

“Therefore, because President Yar’Adua has been in Saudi Arabia for medical treatment for more than 70 days, thereby unable to perform his duties as Head of State and has not been seen in public since then, the stakeholders hereby demand that the President cede power to his deputy or resign within seven days,” the letter reads, according to African paper, This Day. “If he fails to take these obvious constitutional steps to stabilize the polity and keep away undemocratic forces from the political space, the National Assembly should commence impeachment proceedings against the President for endangering the country.”

They ask that he cede his power to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan (Editor’s Note: Best name ever.), echoing a motion from the Nigerian Senate, or resign.