Yemen’s Hadi Meets Governors, Claims He Is President

SANAA (Press TV) – The Yemeni president, who stepped down from his post last month, has led a meeting of the governors of six southern provinces amid the ongoing political crisis in the Arab country, an official says.

Date: 23 February 2015 - 20:07

News ID: ۱۱۲۸۶

Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi received the governors in a Sunday meeting, which was also attended by army and security chiefs, according to Abdulaziz bin Habtoor, the governor of Yemen’s southern city of Aden.
"The president will keep up his political efforts to lead from Aden," Habtoor said, adding, "His priority is to normalize the security situation in Aden in order to receive foreign delegates who have requested appointments to meet him.”
A statement released by Hadi's office following the meeting also highlighted his determination to resume duties, saying he "exercises his functions as president of the republic in Aden with legitimacy not subject to questioning.”
The meeting was held one day after the Yemeni president left his home in the capital city of Sana’a after weeks under effective house arrest.
In a statement, released after his departure, Hadi also dismissed all measures taken by the Houthi movement after the Shia revolutionaries gained control of Sana’a. He also called on the Houthis, also known as Ansarullah fighters, to relinquish power and leave the capital.
It was the embattled president's first public comment since he, along with the cabinet of Prime Minister Khaled Bahah, stepped down on January 22. However, the Yemeni parliament rejected Hadi’s resignation.
Earlier this month, the Houthi movement dissolved the parliament and announced a constitutional declaration on the Transitional National Council, following weeks of clashes with government forces.
The Ansarullah revolutionaries say the Yemeni government has been incapable of properly running the affairs of the country and providing security.
In September 2014, the Ansarullah fighters gained control of Sana’a after Yemeni political parties failed to put aside differences and fill the power vacuum.
The Houthi movement, which draws its name from the tribe of its founding leader, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, played a key role in the popular revolution that forced Saleh to quit after 33 years of rule.