By Tunde Abatan.
tunde2013abatan@gmail.com
08165660217
For the first time since the 9th National Assembly took off with acolytes of the executives led by Senate President Ahmed Lawan and his House of Representatives , comrade in arms,Femi Gbajabiamila took office, both the legislative and executive has worked in relative harmony and peace even if at the discomfiture of democracy and Nigerians.
Bills were passed with utmost dispatch and alacrity and this obviously was done to make a difference between the Dr Bukola Saraki 8th NASS seen as opposition to the executive though both came from both parties.
However,the refusal of the President, Muhammadu Buhari to append his signature to the amendment to reflect adoption of Direct primaries and other salient provisions by the political parties,things have not been the same.
It is an irony that a friendly NASS has passed a Bill which the President did not find pleasant citting cost of primaries and national security concerns calls for question whether both the legislature which passed the Bill and the Executive which has kicked against it, are working for their individual and collective interest or they are working for the promotion of democracy in the country.
While President Buhari has maintained repeatedly his commitment to deepen democracy,his turning down assent for whatever reasons amounts to pandering to the interest of his minders who are obviously not up to the numbers of elected 409 members of the NASS who passed the Bill after much debate.
In any democracy,one of the founding principle is to create an environment for widening people’s participation through party primaries and selection of it’s leaders . Nomination and selection of candidates by political parties has of recent been reduced to indirect system where the state governors who controls the party in the state call the shots.
Before now, the attitude and powers of the governors was quite evident during the last 22 years as they have the parties in their pockets.
It is thus not surprising that allowing ordinary party members at all levels to vote in a Direct primary is a direct threat to the powers,control and influence of the Governors most of who not only want to anoint a successor but also filled both the state assembly and local government with their anointed candidates thus maintaining their stranglehold on the parties.
Reasons why local governments and state assembly are not effective is not far from the fact that with the nomination of their anointed candidates to the assembly by the governors,critical legislation and oversight are hampered.
Also ,with the state/ local government joint account, developments are arrested in the states as Governors merely left pittance for local governments most of which have become liaison offices for state governors acolytes.
Though the local government councils were elected by the people but control is in the hands of the Governors. Where then is democracy.?
Is President Buhari really determined to leave a legacy of transparency by people’s participation?.
Speaker, House of Representative,Femi Gbajabiamila, whose members voted for Indirect primaries still believe that in spite of Buharis refusal,the people as represented by his colleagues who voted for Direct primary as a way of freedom from Governors,will have their way when the House resumes for break.
It is doubtful whether Dr Lawan, the Senate President who not only denied existence of a group collecting signature to overturn President Buharis decision,is at home with the Speaker,who he has declared, he will consult obviously to find a way to please the President is in tune with the reality of the moment.
The apparent anger in the land on management of the polity on which the Senate he presides over has not perform to expectation as an oversight institution leaves much to be desired.
Now,it appears there is an apparent clash between positions and ambitions of individual representatives at both chambers of the NASS,the ambition of second term Governors most of who either wanted to use their office and power to get nomination or wanted to use select delegates in an Indirect primary to enable their acolytes to succeed them.
This is where the interest of Governors in all the political parties and President Buhari meet as both are poised to defend and protect their vested interests.
The reason why President Buhari has to remain neutral and allow majority decision of NASS members to hold is the need for him to bequeathe a strong polity after his autocratic rule of eight years such that with good legislation,he would’ve defended the people and make a difference between what we have during the former President Olusegun and Good luck Jonathan years when the Governors hold both by the balls on the direction of intra and inter party politics.
If the NASS members are able to stand firm and return the Bill to the President for assent,they would’ve saved democracy and prove indeed that the legislature still have a redeeming image left and could be used to stop executive tyranny by both the President and state Governors. In all the parties,both President and Governors often turn them into rubber stamp in our presidential system of anything goes.
It is quite apparent that Senate President who declared on assumption of office over two years ago, he was not elected to fight or oppose the President,is ready once again to sacrifice democracy to please the President as he has done with granting of spurious requests for all manner of foreign loans by this government such that 98% of our revenue is used to service debts with its grave impact on the macro economic indicators. This has bred pervasive poverty in the country.
In a country where unemployment has grown to 33 percent and inflation rate now 18 percent,the popularity of the government and party in power is not what anybody can take to the banks.
If the President has his way and ram the Indirect primary option into the throat of the parties, he would also have to contend with dissenting legislators who might suffer from the party decisions and overbearing influence of state governors when it comes to the election proper both on inter -party and intra party levels.
As for the ruling All Progressives Congress,APC,the President will have to contend with intrigues by different tendencies in the party who might disagree with his choice of primaries since it is clear that those who are against the Indirect primaries option are also party members who have their individual preferences and ambition which may clash with the national leadership of the party .
This is so especially in a polity devoid of strong party loyalty,discipline and cohesion. This is prevalent moreso in a polity devoid of ideology.
When ideology is paramount in a system or party, personal ambition takes the second stage in adherence to party rules especially those aspirants who are relatively popular with their constituencies and support base.
The resolution of the contentious primaries issue will surely affect in either way the forthcoming National Convention of the ruling party still tentatively slated for February.
In whatever way it is viewed,the politics of succession between the different tendencies in the APC.
Besides, the contentious issue of where the Presidency goes will determine the shape of things to come in 2022 when the countdown for national elections in 2023 will assume a life of it’s own .
This becomes imperative considering the insecurity and grave economic problems which are factors that will determine the outcome of the 2023 elections.
The nation waits!
