Imperative of decorum in Ekiti State Assembly
07 December 2022 |
4:10 am
Since swearing in of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in Ekiti, the State House of Assembly has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Internecine power tussle among the so-called lawmakers, brigandage, allegations of assassination attempts and arson all demonstrate...
Ekiti State House of Assembly
Since swearing in of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in Ekiti, the State House of Assembly has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Internecine power tussle among the so-called lawmakers, brigandage, allegations of assassination attempts and arson all demonstrate sheer ill-wind that has no place in a democracy. The lawmakers have behaved unruly in a way that starkly reminds Nigerians of why democracy is not working to its potential in the country.
In modern democracy, it is not by accident that there is separation of power among the trio of executive, legislature and the judiciary arms of government. Pioneering thinkers on separation of powers had the foresight of executives becoming unmanageable and inefficient, without a vibrant legislature to keep them in check while the judiciary acts as the umpire. But that logic is consistently turned on its head in Nigeria with the all-important borderline between executive and legislative powers freely eroded. The norm is the executive meddling in affairs of the legislature or the lawmakers becoming too distracted with internal brawls to keep the executive in check.
Regrettably, Ekiti has lately been caught in this web of indecency. No sooner had Dr. Kayode Fayemi exchanged baton with the incoming Oyebanji that an internal crisis erupted in the hallowed chamber. Following the death of the former Speaker in October, the House has had two Speakers in quick succession. Gboyega Aribisogan was on November 15 elected by 15 out of the 25 members to replace the deceased Speaker. Six days later, 17 out of the 25-member House elected Olubunmi Adelugba as the Speaker after announcing Aribisogan’s hurried impeachment. Both parties and their allies have since been accusing the each other of threats to life. Police have also gathered intelligence that some hoodlums had plotted to attack the legislative house, to warrant evacuation of staff and shutdown of the Assembly.
Such unpleasant twists and turns are not new in democracy, though shocking that the primitive instincts continue to reign. In Edo State, for instance, 14 out of 24 elected lawmakers have since been shut out of the House in the last three years. The crisis is not unconnected with the rivalry between the sitting governor, Godwin Obaseki and his erstwhile godfather, Adams Oshiomhole. Indeed, the undercurrent has often been the overbearing influence of the ruling elite and godfathers on the leadership of the Assembly. In Ekiti, like Edo, the former governor, Fayemi and his loyalists have been fingered in the political mess. Across the board, almost all governors want a loyal rubber stamp Assembly at their beck and call. Lawmakers also want to remain in the good books of the chief executive and custodian of the state resources, in exchange for constituency projects to deepen local popularity ahead of the next election. The racket is all too familiar!
Yet, the turn of events in Ekiti is just as disgraceful. Ekiti has for so long pride itself as one of the most enlightened states in the country, given its array of bright minds, among them renowned professors and legal luminaries. Unfortunately, those stellar and refined qualities of persons are yet to rob off on the political landscape. That elected ‘honourable’ members are descending so low in sponsoring hoodlums to ‘settle’ conflicts with colleagues is not the hallmark of educated minds. It reinvigorates the odd verdict that when it comes to democracy in Nigeria, the worst among us are leading our best!
Curiously, the civil disturbance is coming from members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). That the crisis has dragged on for this long implies a ruling party of strange bedfellows and officeholders that have no rule or restraint over selfish ambitions. The intent of the party system is to offer the electorate a better deal than promises of the opposition. That the new administration in Ekiti and the ruling party have set-out on the wrong footing leaves it all to imagination on what to expect in the years ahead.
But the people of Ekiti in particular and Nigeria in general, deserve better leadership, conduct and decency from Ekiti. Barely three months to crucial general elections, Nigerians say no to violence and distractions. Ekiti lawmakers should call themselves to order as officeholders enlightened enough to understand the lofty demands of the office, the weight of their oaths and constitutionality they swore to uphold. The exalted office of a lawmaker is a moral bully pulpit that should not be brought to the gutter level come what may. Intervention by a group of revered Senior Advocates in the state is timely and should get due attention. All parties, including the aggrieved, should allow democracy and good governance to prevail, and stop heating up the polity through brigandage. Where they feel very strongly about events, the lawmakers can approach the law court for mediation.
Similarly, the general public should once again remember that politics is too important to be left to politicians alone. While the searchlight is often beamed on President and governors in seasons of general elections, Nigerians should note that those arrow heads are just as important as the quality of lawmakers in federal, state and local councils. While a good legislative arm can tame the excesses of a bad executive, it is most unlikely that a well-meaning president or governor will succeed when peered with a bad legislative arm. It will surely be disastrous to have both of them wayward at the same time. Therefore, ahead of the general elections, it is not too late to start scrutinising the quality of all candidates and vote for convictions instead of parties.
The general public should as well get enlightened on the remits of lawmakers in a democracy, to assuage undue burden on legislators. Theirs is the business of lawmaking, checks and balancing of the executive. Really, it is not lawmakers’ duty to stage constituency projects and give handouts to constituents as dividends of democracy. Security and welfare programmes belong to the executive, with the legislative arm availing enabling laws and push for that purpose. So, the electorates’ burden of pecuniary demands on legislators is a recipe to blur the line of duty between the two offices in a democracy. That, in turn, erodes independence of the legislators and compromises their sacred responsibilities to deepen good governance. For democracy to work for all, it needs responsible citizenship as much as responsible public officeholders.
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