The bizarre manner in which former Adamawa Governor, Murtala Nyako was impeached and removed from office is yet another vindication that Nigeria is a country where wonders shall never end. Against the backdrop of the 2015 presidential elections, the removal of Nyako should not be taken on its face value, as it appears to be the first in a series of well-orchestrated political ambush and witch-hunt of governors who have pitched their tent with the main opposition All Progressive Congress (APC). This blight on the toga of Nigeria’s floundering democracy is indeed lamentable, signposting as it does; the institutionalization of one-party dictatorship and the abusive use of state power for partisan political advantage that has become the official currency of governance. Arm-twisting the opposition is a self-defeating strategy that can destabilize and threaten peace and stability. It is a mockery to Nigeria and all her pretences to being a democracy, with negative consequences for her image as a country with deeply dysfunctional institutions where impunity and absurdity reign supreme. President Goodluck Jonathan should spare himself and the nation further embarrassment.
Admiral Nyako is not without guilt, of course. Having refused to appear before the investigating panel to defend himself, Nyako was found guilty by the state legislature on 16 counts ranging from corruption to abuse of office and cronyism. He was removed from office following his impeachment; in a kangaroo process that neither served the cause of Nigerian democracy, nor the overall interest of Adamawa citizens. The impeachment had all the trappings of a conspiracy as the legislature was merely reading the script dictated by unseen hands in Abuja. The fact that most of the charges for which Nyako was impeached were committed when he was in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); and yet, the PDP-dominated state assembly saw nothing wrong with the alleged transgressions until after Nyako decamped to the opposition APC raises fundamental questions of political witch-hunting and speaks volumes about the character and motives of the Adamawa state legislators.
There is a palpable fear that Jonathan has decided to destroy the opposition by waging a campaign of attrition against real or perceived opponents standing in the way of his 2015 presidential ambitions. Huhuonline.com understands that sinister plots are thickening to impeach Nasarawa governor, Tanko al-Makura, who is facing a similar 16-count charge of gross misconduct and misappropriation of public funds. And speculation is rife that two other governors are in the line of fire. Add this to the chaos in Rivers State where Governor Rotimi Amaechi has been fighting running battles with known loyalists of the president including the revolt and insubordination of then Rivers Police Commissioner Joseph Mbu; all in a determined effort to unseat the governor. This is unacceptable.
The ominous signs point to a gathering storm leaving former Nigerian Head of State, and APC chieftain, Muhammad Buhari to call on President Jonathan to pull the brakes on his administration’s runaway train of impunity in the interest of Nigeria’s survival and the sustenance of the nation’s democracy. Gen. Buhari said in a public statement that the recent induced impeachment or threats of impeachment of Governors of opposition states, just to decapitate the opposition, does not augur well for the survival of a fragile nation like Nigeria or the survival of its tenderfoot democracy. He said these developments are an unwelcome distraction from the ongoing battle against the Boko Haram insurgency, which has put Nigeria on the tenterhooks, with innocent citizens being daily mowed down at the times and places of the group’s chosen and over 200 school girls spending their fourth month in precarious captivity. “Whether or not President Goodluck Jonathan is behind the gale of impeachment or the utilization of desperate tactics to suffocate the opposition and turn Nigeria into a one-party state, what cannot be denied is that they are happening under his watch, and he cannot pretend not to know, since that will be akin to hiding behind one finger,” Buhari noted.
Ordinarily, impeachment against officials in high public office ought to be used with restraint in order not to destabilize the polity. But Nigerian politicians with their remarkable genius for travesty have transformed impeachment as recourse of last resort to a weapon of intimidation against perceived political opponents of the president. Such crude and under-hand tactics are destabilizing and it is even politically irresponsible, for the Presidency to be seen in word and deed to be plotting and scheming the removal of elected opposition governors not necessarily to uphold the rule of law, but more exactly because it serves the overarching interests of the President who seem obsessed with his re-election. Nigerians are traumatized by the failure of public officials to respect the powers given to them by the constitution as sacrosanct and for that reason, show utmost sense of responsibility in the way they deploy state authority. Elsewhere, state power is used for the overall interest of the people. Here, Nigerians have seen the worst of what it could be used for – a means of oiling the machinery of evil, fraud, corruption, brigandage, lawlessness and a bargaining power for electoral success. Seeking power as an end in itself is a great disservice to the Nigerian people and certainly not in the public interest.
The jury is out already whether due process was followed in Nyako’s impeachment. The question now is: how will his removal enhance good governance or improve the conditions of the people of Adamawa State? How will this provide the dividends of democracy and fulfil that very cardinal duty of government as outlined in Chapter II Sect. 14 (2)b of the 1999 constitution that: “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government?” In a proper democracy, the rule of law is supreme, and it is, in application, consistent in time and place no matter whose ox is gored. In a genuine democracy a focused and vibrant opposition is most desirable. It is a shadow government with the constitutional basis and the capacity to keep the party in power on its toes. An effective and patriotic opposition is a key component of a functional democracy.
To give the facade of a civilized nation, it is fashionable for the country to adopt laws which rise above medieval values, norms and precepts. However, laws designed to produce certain consequences, time-tested to ensure good governance, good behavior, and the creation of a just, peaceful and orderly society, seem to work the opposite in Nigeria. The laws that serve public purposes and the ends of justice have been twisted to work against the public interest. All things considered, the deliberate and systematic decimation and annihilation of the APC will undoubtedly push Nigeria to a precipice and the President and the ruling PDP, must, and will be, held fully responsible for any conflagration. Mr. President, Nigeria is too fragile and needs not another commotion; please, in the name of God and Allah, drag it not into one!
