In all democracies in
the world, the legislature plays sacrosanct roles in the functioning and
survival of such systems. Therefore the members of the legislative Houses are
usually very serious in the discharge of their legislative responsibilities. Their
roles when properly played strengthen the democratic principles which
eventually translate to the overall development of the entire country. This is
why people who are elected into that arm of government are definitely not
jokers. On the other hand, where the aforementioned description of the members
of the Houses is the contrary, then the country suffers from legislative
stagnation, retrogression, oppressive policies which might even breed
misdirected or carefree Executives. In the Nigerian Legislative Houses, we
witness constant confrontational postures between the Executives and the
Legislatures, which confrontations are usually rested on perceived frivolities
and supercilious attitude of one over the other, therefore leaving the
electorates much more confused, frustrated and denigrated. This feature obviously
characterizes the Nigerian Houses of Parliament more often than not, especially
in this contemporary dispensation. This is a macabre dance taken to the
national political ambience.
Trending now is the
recall saga of the popular Senator Dino Melaye by the constituents of his Kogi-West
Senatorial District. In the wisdom of his own people, they felt that Melaye is
no longer fit to represent them because of the alleged several offences
catalogued against him. Eighteen alleged offences were marked against his
person, hence the legitimate demand for his recall. They strongly felt that the best way to redeem
the almost-battered image of the constituency and from continuous national
embarrassment, was to recall their representative. Before now, the Senator was embroiled
in a certificate saga, alleged verbal attacks on the person of the Sultan
of Sokoto, the Executive President of the country, Muhammadu Buhari; and other
alleged offences. Digging deeper into one of his alleged offences, an online
news platform, the Sahara Reporters had indicted Senator Melaye, in one of
their reports that he never graduated from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria. He was accused of failing a core course in Geography and
could not have graduated in that circumstance. But in a sudden twist of events and
to quickly redeem the image of the University, the Vice-Chancellor of the
University visited the Senate Council and presented a certificate of Graduation
to Melaye. Following, Melaye kitted himself in an academic regalia in the
following plenary to affirm his claim of graduation from the University. He consequently
released a nollywood film singing a war-song to mock his persecutors and making
childish gesticulations in the video to drive home his point. His reaction was
viewed by many as not only childish, but demeaning of a man of such high calibre,
a national figure for that matter.
His present recall saga
has generated several mixed reactions from different quarters which included
that from the Red Chambers – the House of Senate. The Deputy Senate President,
Senator Ike Ekweremadu described the actions of the electorates of Melaye’s
senatorial constituency as jokers who have embarked on an exercise in futility. He asserted that the protesters must
convince the Senate council with proofs why Melaye could be recalled. His position
was seconded by the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki who affirmed that
Kogi-West constituents are jokers; that is to say that all the seven local
Governments which form the Kogi-West Senatorial District are full of jokers and
possibly ignorant of what is obtainable in the political world. He allegedly
said that the recall process was “dead on arrival”. This was what elicited the
reaction of the former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili who described
the statements of the leadership of the Senate as unfortunate and unbecoming of
such respected representatives of the people. He berated them as people who
wanted to silence the political conscience of the aggrieved senatorial District.
The Senate is obviously
dabbling and assaulting the collective reasoning of a group of people by their
inflammatory statements. Their bias asserts that a part is greater than a whole,
because Melaye here, is projected as being greater than one-third of Kogi State, his constituency. This is a naked attempt
to obstruct the free political expression of the informed electorates. The Senate
must know and be deliberately reminded that sovereignty belongs to the people
in a democracy. No Senator, not even the President, is greater or superior to
the electorates. This, they must know and respect. The people of Kogi-West have
the right to recall their representative if they deem it legitimately and objectively
fit to do so.
Meanwhile, the embattled
Senator raised an alarm that 110,000 people voted for him but 118,000
electorates signed his recall. He alleged
that even dead men must have been part of those who signed the recall letter. This
perceived anomaly and others may have informed the Abuja High court to rule
that the parties in the dispute maintain the status quo for now. In his
conventional reactions to issues, Melaye who had accused the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, as the
mastermind and sponsor of his recall, described the Governor as a failure. This
to me, is an irresponsible statement from a peoples’ representative against an
equally elected Executive Governor of a State, his own State. Senator Melaye should
learn how to live in peace with fellow human beings, and not utilizing every
situation to be confrontational, even when he is supposed to maintain decorum
and self-respect. Being quiet at times does not mean that one is a coward or
unintelligent.
Unfortunately, his confrontational
attitude and actions have smeared the behavioural pattern of some Senators
already. This is a deviation! An aberrantion altogether!!
The Senate has in
another dimension engaged in a childish display in carrying out their
responsibilities. Once upon a time, the Executive arm of the present government
presented the name of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, for confirmation by the Senate. He was not
confirmed by the Senate, citing the security reports of the Department of State
Services, (DSS) indicting him. As if the Magu’s matter had died down, recently
the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo presented the name of Mr. Lanre
Gbajabiamila to the Senate for confirmation as the Director-General of the
National Lottery Regulatory. The Senate out-rightly refused to confirm him
referring to a recent statement earlier credited to the Acting President that
some Executive nominees do not need the confirmation of the Senate before
assuming their official responsibilities. Instead of the Senate to seek judicial interpretation
of the statement made by the Professor of Law, Yemi Osinbajo, if they were
miffed by that, they pocketed the grievance like a child, waiting patiently for
a ripe opportunity for vendetta. And that period actually came when the same Acting
president presented a nominee to be confirmed by them! The Distinguished
Senators exhumed with ease the offensive statement earlier made by Osibanjo and
responded that they will no longer confirm any nominees presented to them by
the Executives until Ibrahim Magu is removed from being the Acting Chairman of the
anti-graft Body.
On this, the Senate
Council has no right to hold the country by the jugular by refusing to confirm
nominees presented to them by the Executives. The third Arm of Government which
is the Judiciary, is there to interpret conflicting legal or controversial declarations
made, especially as it affect the discharge of their lawful responsibilities
and deliverables. Instead of them to toe the legal route, they veered like children
in the bid to blackmail the Presidency/ executives. This is disgusting to the
public; and a display of political immaturity. The senate must be brought to
their consciousness of the need to carry out their legislative duties with all
sense of maturity and decorum; and not seeking for vendetta to the collective detriment
of the entire nation in general and the hard-earned democracy in particular.
Senator Danjuma Goje in
his own rhythmic display of the macabre dance has accused the Minister of
Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fasola, of being confrontational to the
legislative chambers. The offence of the Minister was that he accused the House
of doctoring the 2017 budget of his ministry by slashing off it the budget
allocations. Some of the altered projects include the Lagos-Ibadan expressway
which connects three states in the country, the budget for the completion of
the Second Niger bridge which connects the East to the West, thereby connecting
eleven States, and the Kano-Maiduguri roads connecting 5 States. Fashola accused
the House that instead of approving such budgets, the projects of building
street lights in legislative constituencies were used for replacement. This is
a wrong direction toed by the Senate Chairman of the Committee of Appropriation.
His action is not only selfish, but unpatriotic and inhuman. He has not
considered how many lives have been lost in accidents on the terrible
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway due to corruption and embezzlement of funds previously
appropriated for such laudable project by past Governments. As for the Second
Niger Bridge which connects the East to the other parts of the country, the
selfishness of the Senator has beclouded his sense of understanding of the
economic viability and transformation the project will impact on the people primarily
affected, and the Nigerian economy as a whole. The Parliamentarian should abhor
selfishness in its totality and seek for ways to form a responsible synergy
with the executives in moving the nation forward. Senator Danjuma Goje is
obviously dancing with twisted footsteps on the floor of the Red Chambers.
It must be known to the
National Parliament that their legislative success is not necessarily measured
by the degree of confrontational posture with the executive. This will rather
earn them disdain and criticism from the public. A responsible legislature is
that which constitutionally checks and balances the other arms of government,
and possibly sells innovative ideas to other arms of government which transforms
the entire country in developmental strides. A true Legislature is one who
takes interest in his constituency and even broker peace where the peace eludes
or is threatened there. He is not, therefore the one constituting a nuisance to
the electorates and the entire senatorial district. A responsible legislature
is the one who would not allow its image to be dented by the activities of other
deviant members of the House. They would immediately whip such deviants to
course; but where the deviants prove obstinate, he is quickly sanctioned, in
order to respect the sanctity and the sovereignty of the electorates.
The Nigerian
Parliamentarians must prove to be responsible and act so. They owe much to this
budding democracy in Nigeria. With a more responsible and responsive legislature,
Nigeria and all her citizens the world over will be respected by other comity
of nations.
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