“Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principals which direct them” -Napoleon Bonaparte
The crisis brewing at the National Assembly and within the ruling party, APC, if not well managed can push Nigerian state to that precipice Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had warned and wished that Nigeria would not have to slide to, because we may not be lucky to survive another slide. While nobody can confidently predict how the crisis at would be resolved, but one thing is assured, the belated decision of the national leader of APC, President Muhammadu Buhari to directly get involved in the resolution moves as initiated (if properly handled) could ensure that the APC and its members come out more cohesive, focused, disciplined, against the “end time predictions of the party” of not a few commentaries.
The question is, could the President have carried on, and not directly be involved in the resolution of this crisis, but for the national outcry and demand for his intervention? Can the President simply on the basis of the principles of separation of powers, really not to be interested and involved in the process that leads to the election of the Presiding and Principal Officers of the National Assembly?
Why it is conceded that, the combined provisions of Sections 4–6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), specifically identified the separate powers of the three arms of government; the totality of all the provisions of the constitution, its spirit and intendment, as captured in the preamble to the constitution, demands for an efficient symbiotic relationship of the three arms of government, their constitutions, functions and obligations, that will ultimately ensure good governance and good welfare of all persons.
What happened at the National Assembly and within APC can be considered for the inherent positive relevance it brings, that is, a timely awakening to the President and the leaders of APC that governing Nigeria and politicking is not a tea party, there will always be reactionary forces within and without seeking to control and influence governance and politics.
The President should not and must not repeat the same mistakes of the old, when as military leader, reactionary forces moved against him. Even though Buhari did not then, seek for people’s mandate, and indeed couldn’t have by the nature of how he got into power, but he assumed power with the solemn promise to guide Nigeria from the path of economic and moral decadence by giving true and good leadership. With that solemn promise to the people, it should have been incumbent on him to have ensured that, the promise then of providing good leadership was not so easily truncated.
It is curious that the crisis at the National Assembly was allowed to fester all in the name that the President is not supposed to be involved in the process of election of Presiding Officers of both the Senate and House.
The President should know that, this time around he cannot afford not to be affirmative in ensuring that the party’s position is allowed to reign supreme, because his name was used to invite the loyal APC Senators away from the chambers, thereby creating a conducive election environment for Senator Saraki and his acolytes.
While Section 50(a&b) of the Nigerian Constitution provides for the election of the four Presiding Officers at the National Assembly, Section 60 gives both the House of Representatives and Senate the power to regulate their procedure. It should be noted that the Senate Standing Order, which provide for the procedure for the nomination for election of Senators for the offices of the Presiding and Principal officers, is made pursuant to the powers as stated in Section 60 of the Constitution.
Unfortunately, the response of the Senate President, (who ostensibly possesses the legal authority to preside) to the allegation of a clandestine amendment of Standing Order 2011 (as Amended) by Senator Marafa has put a big question mark on the moral authority of the Senate President. There is the compelling need for an explanation as to when the Standing Order was amended when the important role of a party in determining the nomination and election of members as officers was removed. Was the alleged amendment done after the National Election in March? Who moved the Motion for the amendment? If indeed the amendment was done immediately after the said elections, then one wonder if there are other such amendments or Bills passed into law by the past administration, having lost its majority presence in the National Assembly.
Beyond all these, it should be noted that, the intrigues in this unnecessary crisis, is not so much about the settlement of the individual ambition of the dramatis personae in both houses, or the touted “cutting to size” of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s rising political influence, but about the eternal desire of the “powers-that-be”, to always determine who rules this country, by hijacking that electoral power of the masses. Tinubu has made his mark; he is now a major factor that cannot be shoved aside in the charting of political direction in Nigeria. He is one formidable Knight we have in the Nigeria’s politics.
It should be noted that, Late M.K.O Abiola was not really denied access to power because of the various concocted reasons, but because it became glaringly clear that June 12 election symbolized that power to determine who rules the nation should actually be with the people, the power already constitutionally guaranteed. The unexpected result of June 12 election only made Late MKO Abiola to instantly become the “common enemy” to the forces that pulls the strings in Nigerian politics.
The then President Jonathan, also became a common enemy to the politically entrenched gladiators and the business moguls, as it became easy for them to turn their backs on him because of self-preservation.
Fortunately for them, his obvious deficiencies in political sagacity and his attempt to provide good governance emerged as a monumental disaster, which made the sentiment of the people to weigh heavily against him; and having failed them, the people voted for President Buhari.
Having voted Jonathan out, President Buhari should not think that his only business in Aso Rock is to just provide good governance for the people, he can only do that if his government is allowed to stabilize and perform.
He should not be mistaken; he is the common enemy now.
They will try everything from heckling to blackmail that, he must be a democrat, he must allow rule of law, principles of separation of powers and all to prevail, the same ideals the hecklers have been unabashedly guilty of in the past years.
We saw people who could not adhere to the simple democratic principle of majority of 19 being more than 16 votes who were the same people challenging the democratic credentials of President Buhari before the elections, were the same faces in the red Chambers openly rejoicing at the success of their plan. Ironically this same people thereafter acknowledged the democratic credentials of the President for not interfering in the election.
Our President needs to stay focused, assertive, proactive, meticulous, fearless and most importantly, ensure that the trust and faith of the people is not broken.
Nigerians did not expect the President to perform magic, because he never said he is a magician, nor did they regard him as a messiah, as he neither presented himself as such and Nigerians did not vote for a messiah, but for a person who they sincerely believed possesses integrity above his peers. Nigerians have decided not to be manipulated by the politicians’ messianic promises, they are ready to be patient and give the President time and space to deliver on his electoral promises to them.
- Olaleye is an Attorney practicing in Lagos.
