Former leader: Nigerian president must cede power

A former Nigerian leader has called on ill President Umaru Yar'Adua to cede power to the West African nation's vice president.

Former President Shehu Shagari and a group of other former government officials issued the call Thursday. Shagari, a civilian leader, served as president from 1979 until he was toppled by a coup in 1983.

Shagari's comments come after another former president, President Olusegun Obasanjo, called on Yar'Adua to follow "the honorable path" and resign if he wasn't capable of running the nation.

Yar'Adua left Nigeria for treatment in Saudi Arabia for a heart condition in late November. He has yet to return and didn't empower Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to act in his absence, sparking fears of a constitutional crisis.