Lagos speaker’s return as an ominous sign

Sir: Some happenings in Nigeria beggar belief and signal unpretentious ominous signs of a large scale disaster hanging over the country. What has happened at the Lagos State House of Assembly where an impeached speaker has now returned to his seat after his elected former deputy, Mojisola Meranda, tendered her resignation letter?

What could have led to such sudden withdrawal of the newly elected speaker is left to anyone’s imagination but this sad turn off event is a regrettable testament of how utterly despicable Nigeria’s brand of democracy has become.

It is unheard of that a state house of assembly would jointly find their speaker guilty of various breaches and therefore pass a vote of no confidence on him leading to his unanimous impeachment while his erstwhile deputy was promptly elected to take over from him only for the same impeached speaker to return to head the same body that impeached him.

Before then, there had been claims and counter claims regarding due process and the issue had become a matter of litigation. It is surprising that the judiciary was not allowed to play its role as required by law in order to resolve the issue in a manner that would justify and promote the essence of democracy.

In any case, perhaps what Shakespeare said is very apt here. According to him, “To be thus is nothing but to be safely thus”. Returning to head a body in which one has been rejected may not necessarily be what matters in the long run but the success one makes of such office and position.

Nigeria is no longer under a military dictatorship and whoever has been impeached has outlived his usefulness. By returning to head same body by force, he has not only ridiculed himself but also exposed the second arm of government to public disgrace. Such an outrageous action is not only a shame to Lagos State alone but the entire country. Indeed, it portends an ominous sign for the future of democracy in Nigeria.

Jide Oyewusi is the coordinator of Ethics Watch International Nigeria.