Although the election of Senator Bukola Saraki as the President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu as his Deputy, and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as the Speaker of the House of Representatives have expectedly not gone down well with some quarters, it has been widely celebrated across the nation as democracy and independence of the legislature in action. While there are some innocuous concerns arising from the Ekweremadu re-election, there are also several outright mischief going on, with some All Progressives Congress (APC) apparently incoherent and mischievous- a clear sign that they are still dazed. Otherwise, how do you explain their double standard?
How do you explain the crazy call by some disgruntled APC Senators -Senate Unity Forum (what an irony in a name) for Ekweremadu’s resignation? Or the vituperation of former Governor? Whereas one can easily agree that it is not common for lawmakers from minority parties in parliament to be elected presiding officers, Ekweremadu’s reelection not only has precedents, which even the APC has benefited from, but is also part of the wind of change blowing through the polity for good.
When the Benue State House of Assembly made up of 15 Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and 14 APC lawmakers (Minority), elected Honourable Terkimbi Ikyange of the APC as the Speaker of the House of Assembly and Honourable James Ejembi of PDP as Deputy, it was change in action. And where were those crying blue murder now over the election of Ekweremadu? When events in the Plateau State House of Assembly also saw a ranking Member of the Assembly, Honourable Peter Azi of the APC emerge the Speaker at the expense of the PDP, which has 13 seats as against APC’s 11 seats, it was still change in action and heavens did not fall. Although the developments in State Assemblies might not have received adequate national media mentions, they are nevertheless noteworthy, especially in interrogating the Ekweremadu re-emergence.
The first question is whether the emerging leadership structures in these State Assemblies and the National Assembly are democratic. I would say yes. Democracy, they say, is a game of number. It is about liberty. It is about choices. As was rightly pointed out by the APC Publicity Secretary, the veteran Alhaji Lai Mohammed during the movement of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the respected Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, from PDP to APC, all these point to the fact that our democracy is growing by the day. It shows that our democracy is dynamic. It also facilitates a balanced setting in government, which in itself is good for democracy. I mean, according to Alhaji Lai Mohammed. So, why is APC comfortable with the Benue and Plateau scenerios, but uncomfortable with Ekweremadu’s democratic re-election? However, are these developments legal? Yes.
The Nigerian Constitution in Section 50 (1)(a) says “There shall be a President and a Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves”. There is no caveat that it must be from the majority party. Also, the claim by the Senate Unity Forum that Ekweremadu ought to have been elected by at least 55 Senators, whereas he was elected by 54 is pure falacy. Once a quorum (one-thirds) is formed, presiding officers of the National Assembly are elected by a simple majority. Even if they insist it must be 55, they seem to forget that the Senate is short by one member following the demise of late Senator Ahmed Zannah.
Do these developments enjoy the backing of history and precedences? Yes, Rt. Hon. Tambuwal’s defected in 2014 meant that Nigeria had an APC Speaker and PDP Deputy Speaker in the person of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. We also had Joseph Wayas of the NPN heading the Senate in the Second Republic, whilst Chief Umezoke of the NPP (NPP was third in number of seats) headed the House of Representatives. The Minority Party also headed the Cross Rivers House of Assembly in1991. Have presiding officers of the National Assembly ever emerged against the wishes of their party’s leadership? Yes.
The Rt. Hon. Tambuwal Vs. Hon. Adeola Akande scenerio in 2011 answers that adequately. Interestingly, it was perfected with the support of the former Action Congress, which has melted into the APC. They gave a block vote to the Tambuwal/Ihedioha ticket, just like the PDP lawmakers did in the case of Senator Saraki and Hon. Dogara. Will the emergence of a PDP man as the Deputy President of the Senate obstruct the programmes of the Buhari Administration as alleged? No. The legislature is a game of number and the presiding officer has no vote, except when there is need to break a tie. Importantly, it all depends on the political and psychological temperaments of the individual involved. Even a presiding officer of your own party can as well sabotage your programmes. It is not also a must that APC lawmakers will always vote yes on every of Buhari’s bill or nomination. For the most part of the 16 years it was in power, PDP was both the majority and opposition party in parliament. Also, from Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, we have always had the leadership of at least one chamber working at cross-purposes with the presidency.
Now, if some of his public comments are anything to go by, it is safe to say that Ekweremadu favours a responsible opposition. For instance, in his widely published address to his constituents after the presidential and National Assembly polls, Senator Ekweremdu said: “It needs to be reiterated, however, that the South East PDP and indeed Ndigbo have nothing against General Mohammadu Buhari (retd) as a person or against his incoming administration. We will work hand-in-hand with him in line with our regional agenda and the overall development of Nigeria.
We will give him all the support to succeed because he was elected as the President of Nigeria, not president of the APC or any section of the country in particular”. During the recent retreat by PDP National Assembly Members-elect in Port Harcourt, Ekweremadu was also to caution against destructive opposition. He told his colleagues: “But, let me quickly add that ours should not be an opposition that sees nothing good in any government action or policy. We should not engage in market square propaganda and destructive criticism that turn truth upside-down or tends to incite the citizenry against the government in power…. So, we must oppose responsibly and patriotically.
We must play by the rules and stick to verifiable facts. The PDP lawmakers in the 8th National Assembly should hold the ruling APC accountable on each of its campaign promises…. We should also provide policy alternatives, dissect every executive bills on its merit, and provide informed and energetic oversight of the executive to ensure that Nigerians are not cheated by the ruling party. We should ensure that successive national budgets address national needs and that they do so equitably. We should only support the confirmation of appointments that meet competency test and comply with the principles of federal character and equal opportunity”.
Will Ekweremadu’s re-election as Deputy Senate President not make the ruling party or Buhari to deny the South East “juicy” positions such as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation it had planned to give to the zone? My answer is “No”- unless the party never really had any plans for the South East in terms of substantive and appointive positions in the first place as it does appear.
The official position of the APC is a North-East Senate President (Senator Ahmed Lawn), North-Central Deputy Senate President (Senator George Akume), South-West Speaker of the House of Representatives (Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila) and North-East Deputy Speaker (Hon. Monguno). The North already has the Chief Justice of the Federation, President of the Court of Appeal, and Chief Justice of the Federal High Court of Nigeria. Where was the South-East and South-South in all of this ab initio? So, for the political stunt pulled by Ekweremadu and the PDP, there would not have been any South East/South South person from number 1 to the number 7 positions in the country. Instead, Igbo stalwarts in the ruling party have been fighting dirty among themselves and with other interests in the country over the position of the SGF. Yet South East produced some APC Members of the House Representatives. South-South also produced both House Members and a Senators. Was the Deputy Presidency of the Senate dashed to the PDP, Ekweremadu or the South East by the APC? No.
It was actually the PDP that gave the APC the Senate Presidency. The PDP could have taken advantage of their numerical strength on the day of the inauguration to re-elect David Mark or anyone else since many APC Senators were sipping tea at the International Conference Centre at the time voting was going on. But the PDP just wanted to work for the stability of the Senate. It occupies 49 out of the 109 seats in the Senate. Out of the 49 seats, the South East and South-South contributed 32 seats. People like Kwankwaso and Senate Unity Forum who think the party is toothless and deserved nothing in the Senate are living in a political Fool’s Paradise.
So, if Buhari appoints an SGF outside Igboland, it is because he and APC never had such plans for the South East. Count Ekwermadu and PDP out of it! Some have also worried that Ekweremadu’s co-headship of the Senate means that the PDP could share in the blame if Buhari fails to deliver on the change mantra and other campaign promises? Well, we have had so many instances in the US in which the ruling party does not enjoy majority or headship in the Congress. In fact, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives since January 5, 2011 under the Barrack Obama’s Democratic Party Government is John Boehner, a member of the Republican Party. Americans would never hold Boehner responsible if Obama fails. In fact, many Nigerians would actually have preferred a situation where APC and PDP are in charge of the executive and legislative arms, respectively.
So, the sooner the likes of Kwankwaso and the Senate Unity Forum get over the Ekweremadu nightmare and face the task of governance, the better for them and the nation. As for Ekweremadu, staying focused is the answer. Many thought he had come to the end of the road when he needed to cross the ex-governor Sullivan Chime hurdle, while others thought he had finally crashed as a presiding officer after PDP’s abysmal performance at the elections. There are also hypocrites who believe that Nigeria belongs to them by virtue of winning presidential election and majority in parliament. They have every reason to kick and fret. But their dashed expectations are not enough grounds to call for his resignation.
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