By Adenrele Adelowo Koleoso
The recent happenings at the National Assembly have clearly shown that Nigerian politicians lack conscience. Are they really distinguished and honourable? I dare say they are not. Pretence is always at the centre of their actions. They care and bother at what anguish they are causing the rest of us, who they pretend they are representing. They expect us to respect them while taking us to the slaughtering slab.
National Assembly lawmakers who suppose to live above the board when it comes to legislative responsibility are the ones bending the rules to favour them. In 364 days, they will pass less than 24 bills but within ten minutes of their last sitting, the Senate of the Seventh Assembly passed 46 bills irrespective of its merits and demerits.
They did not care or bother on the implications of the passage of the bills with recourse to the national image and reputation because they lack none of the two (reputation and credibility). It is this lack of reputation, credibility, integrity and responsiveness that made them to look elsewhere when they err. They see themselves as above the laws. They are the lawmakers and at the same time they are the lawbreakers.
The crux of this piece is on the purported election that foisted both Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu on the Senate. Many distinguished personalities and law experts have condemned the election as a rape on democracy but Saraki and Ekweremadu are averse to the condemnation. They considered the opinions expressed against their emergence as ignorant of the Senate Rules and Orders.
The rules and orders are made for the people and not vice versa, so Ekweremadu cannot tell us that the election that brought him to power was in accordance with any sitting or standing order whatever that means. That was the reason why other senators suspected that the Rules and Order of the Senate were tampered with and violated.
Saraki sacrificed his political party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), for his inordinate and self-centred ambition contrary to the position of the party. He acted against the President of the nation who is the leader of the ruling party.
What happened in the Senate Chamber on June 9, 2015 as far as they are concerned was in order and did not contradict their rule in whatsoever instance. Who is fooling who? Media reports had it that Ike Ekweremadu was invited by the Police to explain the role he was said to have played at hoodwinked or bent the rule that gave them the right to hold the principal officers election even when they knew their adversaries were not in attendance to their own advantage. If the 51 senators were at the chamber that day, the Assembly would have witnessed fracas of highest disorder may be by then, the ‘coup’ planned by Saraki and his cohorts would have been spelt out for them as a wrong step aimed at truncating the 8th National Assembly before they know they were wrong.
Ekweremadu is free to say anything but he must know that, his days of being on that seat are numbered. APC must do everything to unseat him and his purported boss that is running from pole to the post seeking recognition by the presidency. Thank God, President Buhari has told him and his cohorts point blank that, he stands by the position of the party and the emergence of Ekweremadu is unacceptable. Would PDP government would not have accepted any senator from the opposition to be their deputy under whatever guise.
Since they insist that irrespective of the ruling party’s opinion and position on who becomes what in the chamber, they will determine their fate why are they running around for help? The position Ekweremadu is occupying presently is meant for the party with majority in the chamber. Ekweremadu must vacate the seat for a senator from APC that controls the majority in the chamber. Ekweremadu and his cohorts cannot bend the Sitting or Standing Order to their favour.
APC senators must quash the election that brought Saraki and Ekweremadu to office. The two of them must step down or at worst, institute investigation into their under-hand dealings. It was the plan of Saraki because of personal interest and inordinate ambition.
The two cannot legislate for the eradication of corruption because they belong to the same old order whether one pretends to be a ‘progressive’ member or not. We know he is after his own interest and not working for the change APC represents.
So Saraki cannot claim he was not the one that brought the current saga in the Senate to the fore. He is the culprit and he must be sanctioned appropriately. The law must take it course and every option must be weighed to wedge the biggest stick on Bukola Saraki and his co-travellers that want to truncate our nascent democracy.
Koleoso wrote from Airport Road, Abuja.
