New NASS leadership and separation of powers

Some issues in terms of proper democratic and constitutional practice have again come to the fore with the politics of electing the leadership of the 10th National Assembly, which reflect the underlining challenges in our politics.

We want Nigeria to become a Constitutional democracy in the true sense (with the President, as chief servant, rather than lord) and not remain an oligarchy of predators.

Our democracy now faces the unlikely danger of being turned into a monarchical system, which, if allowed, may degenerate into full-blown dictatorship, as evident in the tendency we can see in the new president, who is alleged of turning Lagos State into a personal estate.

In particular, the presidential system of government is defined by separation of powers and checks and balances between the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. It is the refusal of our permissive leaders to let it be that is largely responsible for the failure of government to bring about unity, peace and development at home, despite the abundance of human and material resources and the outstanding accomplishment of Nigerians all around the world.

Persons, institutions and groups are handpicked to be subservient to the president or governor, and not chosen on the basis of competence or, even, national cohesion. This culture must be done with for Nigeria to prosper.

Unfortunately, it is this same culture that is playing out in the war for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly. Bola Ahmed Tinubu (whose mandate as president is yet being contested at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal) in collaboration with servile party leaders, is scheming to impose loyalists on the National Assembly (NASS) instead of letting the senators and representatives determine their principal officers, in line with the Constitution and entrenched principles of federal character and quota system.

The loyalty of those to be imposed would be to him as benefactor rather than to their peers and the Nigerian people they are supposed to represent. And the first casualty of such rascality is accountability in the activities of government – leaving the executive, in particular, a wide berth to operate at large, which has been the bane of our government.

For example, the government of Muhammadu Buhari of the same All-Progressives’ Congress (APC) inherited a national debt of barely N12 trillion in 2015, but is leaving behind almost N80 trillion, because the servile Ninth National Assembly (NASS) approved every borrowing request. Even at the dying hour, it condoned and securitized about N23 trillion ‘Ways and Means’ borrowing (beyond the recommended threshold of five percent of maintainable revenues) taken without NASS’ prior approval.

And, there is nothing – in terms of economic multiplier effect – to show for the massive debt overhang. The acquiescent NASS leadership sheepishly pleased the president at the expense of the people. An independent NASS could not be that ineffective, as the 8th NASS proved.

Therefore, we advocate that the legislators should freely choose their leaders – while respecting the Constitution and the entrenched principles of federal character and quota system. We strongly believe that leaders of the legislature democratically chosen by their peers would be more responsive to the Nigerian people in overseeing the Executive and the Judiciary.

While we agree with the principle of zoning (to give every region a sense of belonging) it does not have to be to the taste of the president. Indeed, it is absurd that the president should dictate, who should be made what for an independent arm of the government that is supposed to control him!

Perhaps, it is his overbearing attitude that has called out the beast of rebellion in Northern members-elect, who are now campaigning vigorously for Northern Moslems to lead both the House of Representatives and the Senate of the 10th NASS, under the pretext of their region’s contribution to the victory of the APC, despite an all-Moslem presidency as well as the imperatives of federal character and quota system.

Whatever the case, the implacability of the Moslem North when it comes to political control of Nigeria is objectionable. Why should they even complain when, many a time, the Head of State, the President of the Senate, the Chief Justice, the Inspector-General of Police as well as Service Chiefs and over 75 per cent of heads of key parastatals and agencies of the Federal Government were Northern Moslems, without as much as a whimper from the rest of Nigeria?

Nigerians are now awakened. This mindset has become too unhealthy for the long-term survival of the country.

More worrisome is that in this jostle for power, both the president and Northern members-elect seem not to seriously factor the South-East, which is an important leg of the tripod on which the country was founded and, which is among the major contributors to her prosperity.

We totally condemn the prevailing Machiavellian attitude in the matter of the leadership of the 10th NASS. The foreboding is that the 10th NASS would either be acrimonious or servile and would not be different from the Ninth NASS, which fostered Nigeria’s downward sloping curve on every index of development. It lends support to the widespread belief that the country is in need of a reset and that nothing good can ever come from the old guard, particularly, the APC, as a ruling party.

Whatever may be, there is the fundamental need for a strong and independent legislature to curb the excesses of the executive arm of government – without prejudice to responsible cooperation and collaboration between the two arms of government when it comes to advancing the common good of the people. But we must warn that this oversight is not possible when the legislature is set up by the president and party leaders to their taste.

Let the members-elect sort out the leadership of the houses by themselves, in the spirit of effective separation of powers, federal character and quota system.