Leadership Deficit in Nigerian Legislators

The tone and tenor of leadership, especially of the quality hue is marked by its ability to listen to the views of the led and do things that are in the best interest of a nation. A leader should be able to rise above petty and parochial thinking and jealousy with the ultimate aim of making sure that the nation benefit from its style of leadership. A leader who deludes himself that his interest and that of his cronies should take priority above that of the nation is at best a deficit to the provision of democratic dividends to the masses, the owners of electoral sovereignty. A leader who deludes himself that accountability is a foreign word and only exists in the dictionary is a deficit to the nation and its positive impact can not be felt by the people. A leader with dictatorial fangs with the mindset that any opposition should be crushed using the perceived instrument of the law is living on a borrowed time. This is a very a sad time for the House of Representatives under the leadership of Dimeji Bankole and goes to show that at the very fibre of the Nigerian is lurking a dictator.

Last week transformation of the House of Representatives to a boxing and wrestling arena is an eloquent testimony that the Speaker of the House of Representatives is drifting and has really lost touch with the members despite the so called majority supporting him. Some legislators under the name `progressives` alleged that nine billion naira capital vote was misappropriated by the leadership of the House and gave the speaker two weeks to reply to the allegations and resign from that position. Instead of Dimeji Bankole to reply to these grave allegations, he decided to mobilize some members with appointment of juicy chairmen of committees and sent his hounds after the progressives. When the matter was raised last week, his supporters who are in majority, decided to manhandle the so called opponents. Clothes were torn and a female member from DeltaState, Doris Uboh was dragged from the chambers of the House. The fact that must be stated clearly is that Uboh is not part of the progressive legislators; her only crime was that she insisted that the suspension of the legislators should follow due process. The open brawling with students of a secondary school watching the proceeding in the hollow chambers of the House is the greatest testimony yet that our legislators are shameless and not qualified to make laws for the peace and progress of the nation. This aspect of our democracy was broadcast round the world and those who still believe that the members of the House of Representatives should be called honourable must tell us the new meaning of that word

Apart from suspending the legislators for twelve months, their offices are sealed and they were even prevented from using press facility of the House of Representatives to address the public. This highhandedness is intolerable and should be condemned by all well meaning Nigerians. You can not suspend somebody for twelve months just because you are accused of misappropriating public funds. Bankole and his group ought to defend the allegations. That is the more reason .EFCC should speed up its investigation and bring to book all those found guilty. Democracy is about accountability and rule of law and those who are not ready to obey the tenets have no business making laws for the nation. These dictators masquerading as democrats should be told that Nigerians are sick of their disposition and disgraceful conduct. Patricia Etteh, the former speaker was removed because she planned to use millions of Naira to renovate the official residences of the speaker and deputy speaker. The money was not even spent. Here we are talking of nine billion Naira and instead of Bankole to step aside; he is using his majority in the House to silent the voice of reason. Bankole is a shame to legislative etiquette and this was the point stressed by the PDP chairman Chief Nwodo in a meeting with him last week.

As for the suspension of the eleven legislators, it is wrong through and through. Is it an offence for somebody to say that public money was misappropriated? Is Bankole now saying that the nation no longer needs EFCC and ICPC? The war against corruption will be meaningless if it is only targeted at the executive arm of government. These are issues Bankole must convince us about. And to suspend eleven legislators for twelve months out of four year tenure is a deficit to the time honoured tradition of representative government. Is Bankole saying that for twelve months, eleven federal constituencies should not be represented at the House? Power is such a funny thing and could even control the owner without knowing it. Nobody is elected as the speaker of the House, all are elected as members of the House and the speaker should not delude himself that he is the lord of the House. That is why in the interest of democracy and good governance, the suspension of the eleven legislators should be lifted. I only hope that the PDP leadership shall make this point loud and clear to Bankole who is becoming more of an embarrassment to the nation

It is the same trait of dictatorship that made the speaker to order the deputy clerk of the national assembly to withdraw the copies of constitution review sent to the state Houses of Assembly. The stance of Bankole is that the copies are doctored and not the harmonized version as agreed by the senate and the House of Representatives. And in a fury like reaction, the senate president David Mark described the action of the speaker as mischievous. If it is not mischief, why would the speaker say such a thing knowing fully well that the chairman of the national assembly is the senate president? This combative attitude of the speaker would not help the political engineering of the nation and he should be well advised to conduct himself with the belt of rule. The position of the speaker is very important and entails heavy responsibilities and this is one political fact that is yet to dawn on Bankole. The speaker should be able to tolerate the excesses of fellow members and should not descend to the level of using the office to victimize those who are routing for transparency and accountability. The accepted conduct for him within democratic norms is to clear his name of the nine billion naira accusation rather than using dictatorial means to send his opponents into political winter. The mass of the people of the nation shall not accept that. The position is not a birthright and if he is not ready to abide by the rules of democracy, he has no business remaining in the House in the first place. This plague of leadership deficit is compounding the nation democratic woes and it is hoped that the new leadership of PDP shall save the nation that embarrassment.