Abuja - Ailing Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua, who has not been seen in public since last November, met with top Islamic clerics at his residence in the capital Abuja, media outlets reported on Friday.
Ustaz Musa Mohammed, the chief imam of the Abuja National Mosque, told the BBC and Nigeria's ThisDay and Daily Trust newspapers, that he shook Yar'Adua's hand and prayed with him on Thursday. He said the ailing leader had difficulty speaking.
The 58-year-old leader has not made a public appearance since he left for treatment in Saudi Arabia at the end of November. He was flown back to Nigeria two months ago but remains too frail to govern.
His deputy Goodluck Jonathan has taken over executive powers in his absence.
His secretive return in the middle of the night raised fears that his inner circle of aides, led by his wife Turai, would fight to maintain their influence over Africa's most populous nation and seek to undermine Jonathan.
A power struggle at the top of the OPEC member could paralyse the government, threaten an amnesty programme in the oil-producing Niger Delta and jeopardise reforms in sectors from banking to oil and gas.