No other event lately perhaps dramatizes the contradictions of the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari than the ongoing crisis in the Eight National Assembly which degenerated into a free-for-all last week as lawmakers exchanged punches and engaged in fistfights inside the hallowed chambers, to the consternation of onlookers, including school children. The selection of principal officers of the National Assembly, which spurred the litany of indecorous actions by the lawmakers, is inexcusable. The disgrace was simply mind-boggling; and stands condemned in all ramifications. The fighting was barbaric and constituted a rude assault on the sensibility of Nigerians. In the reckoning of Nigerians who voted overwhelmingly for change, this was an embarrassment not only to Nigeria, but to democracy as a form of government. Besides, it lowers the country’s image before the international community. This is a national shame that must not be allowed to repeat itself.
The emergence of Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and House Speaker, has thrown the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) party in crisis with rival factions; one supporting the new National Assembly leadership, while the other faction supports the supremacy of the party. In a manner that was sufficiently self-indicting and far from being evocative of any commitment to the business of lawmaking, two Senators exchanged blows on the Senate floor, and two days later, while House reps rained blows on each other, to the consternation of school children who had visited to watch the day’s proceedings. Since the emergence of Saraki and Dogara, the APC has been divided over whether or not the new leaderships of both chambers of the National Assembly should respect the supremacy of the party over the zoning of the positions.
In a letter to the Speaker, the APC nominated Femi Gbajabiamila (South West) for House Leader, Ado Doguwa (North West) for Deputy Speaker; and Mohammed Monguno (North East) for Chief Whip. But lawmakers loyal to the new Speaker rejected the party list. The same scenario played out in the Senate, where Saraki said his hands are tied. The Senate rejected attempts to compel it to accept and adopt all nominations made and sent to it by APC National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, nominating Ahmed Lawal as Majority Leader; George Akume, Deputy Majority Leader; Olusola Adeyeye as Chief Whip and Abu Ibrahim as Deputy Whip. But Saraki refused to read the letter claiming it ran afoul of its rules.
The schism has infected APC governors, who rose from a meeting with President Buhari with a resolve to pressurize Saraki and Dogara to abide by the party’s decision on leadership positions in the National Assembly. But indications have emerged that while the party is in a hurry to resolve the crisis trailing the emergence of Saraki as Senate President and Dogara as House Speaker respectively, they crisis has infected the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), between opponents and supporters of the new leaderships of both chambers of the National Assembly to respect the supremacy of the party over the zoning of the positions. Out of sheer desperation, lawmakers have been digging-in; on behalf of their zonal caucuses and some have even accused the APC of violating the standing rules and the federal character provisions enshrined in the constitution.
In the ensuing melee, the important task for which the lawmakers were elected, took the backstage; and was consequently undermined. The goal of governance, which is to improve the wellbeing of the people, seems to have taken the back stage while brigandage deployed in self-service has taken the forestage of national political life. In the wake of these untoward developments, the APC has sought to mollify the indefensible illegal act of its members trading punches inside the National Assembly, with empty promises of resolving the issue as a “family”. The fact that this has not yet happen put a serious question mark on the APC’s ability to put its house in order and deliver the dividends of democracy to the Nigerian people. The fighting lawmakers were definitely wrong if they expected Nigerians to hail their actions as a hallmark of legislative genius. Rather, Nigerians consider their action as rank irresponsibility that should not have been allowed in the hallowed chamber of the last National Assembly.
The emerging crisis in the national assembly and the disgraceful action of the lawmakers has grave implication for the current democratic dispensation in the country. It is in appreciation of the enormity of lawmakers fighting that condemnation has trailed it for being a lawless action; and that when the lawmakers fail to respect the directives of their party on whose platform they were elected into office, and went ahead to quarrel and fight each other over positions and privileges, the country was headed towards anarchy. Similarly, the action of the errant lawmakers has been appropriately captured as a reckless display of partisanship against the backdrop of the fact that the fighting has been done by lawmakers from the same party.
Indeed, more non-altruistic motives can be inferred from this brazen national embarrassment that was clearly unprecedented and a rude assault on the country’s democracy. The action amounts to a travesty and the president was seemingly complicit by the illogical logic of his “non-interference” in the crisis; and his failure to personally condemn the issue. The warring lawmakers did not hide the fact that their intention was to rein in the new Senate president and House speaker. If the game plan was to pressure the new national assembly leadership to bend to the supremacy of the party as the action indicates, it was ill-advised; they ought to have charted the path of legality and due process instead of a resort to fighting and brigandage. For the sad fact remains that Nigerians elected lawmakers, not boxers.
For Nigerians, the attitude of the lawmakers is a sad reminder of the need for them to wonder about the people they elected to represent them. The current set of lawmakers should see their attitude as a shame that should never be brought upon Nigerians again. The country’s dire situation requires lawmakers who are genuinely committed to finding solutions to problems and making life worth living for the citizens. Nonetheless, the (Dis)honorable members by trading punches portrayed themselves as brigands. Nothing can justify such irresponsibility. Did they forget that they represent an important institution of the state and Nigeria? Good manners, different from their actions in public and portraying themselves as rioting students, were desired and expected of them. If the extant republic were to survive, democratic tolerance and conduct would be invaluable.
This unruly behavior should never be allowed to repeat itself. All told, the process that led to the current crisis should be dealt with in accordance with the constitution. When man begins to rule, in the circumstances the rule of law suffers and when this happens anarchy looms. This must not be allowed to stand in the way of the hope for change which Nigerians massively voted for in the last general elections. The new lawmakers in both chambers of the National Assembly must be true agents of change for good.
