Budget padding: Yes, impeach the impeachableIn Nigeria, it takes a rare politician to admit any error, let alone one based on a lie. After weeks of debate, the House of Representatives are considering

In Nigeria, it takes a rare politician to admit any error, let alone one based on a lie. After weeks of debate, the House of Representatives are considering sitting to initiate a motion of ‘confidence’ or ‘no confidence’ of impeachment against Speaker Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and other Principal Officers, charging them of “Budget Padding”. […]

In Nigeria, it takes a rare politician to admit any error, let alone one based on a lie. After weeks of debate, the House of Representatives are considering sitting to initiate a motion of ‘confidence’ or ‘no confidence’ of impeachment against Speaker Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and other Principal Officers, charging them of “Budget Padding”.
This motion is timely and should be embraced by all Nigerians especially the MPs themselves. For the alleged perpetrators especially Speaker Dogara to come out publicly to rebuff act of ‘padding’ not an offence has shown that he does not serve and protect the interests of Nigerians but works at the behest of themselves. Nigerians have watched in dismay as Representatives heckle and hurl insults as the Speaker grins especially when it seems Nigerians is on the receiving end. Speaker Dogara’s grasp of procedure and the law in general is pedestrian if not heavily partisan. This is disappointing especially coming from a lawyer.
In Western countries, where Nigeria adopted its legislative mechanism from, parliamentary speakers play a crucial role ensuring the national assembly observes parliamentary rules, procedures and traditions. It is the Speaker’s duty to rise above the politics of the day and interpret these rules impartially, to remain neutral in government and opposition debates, to maintain order, and to defend the rights and privileges of members, including the right to freedom of speech.
Such act not only embarrasses parliamentarians and Nigeria citizens, but also seriously undermines independence of Legislative and compromises separation of powers in the government. Nigerians can no longer continue to be defrauded by persons who earns from its taxes.
Impeachment may be a very old-fashioned means of bringing a serving official to account, but it could have been made for today’s Nigeria where millions are furious over their economic deprivation and angry about the misconduct of politicians, but have inadequate legal redress against them through conventional courts.
We must therefore as Nigerians and especially MPs bring back sanity, integrity, competence and respect of the rule of law into the office of the Speaker and to do this, impeachment is the right constitutional tool for a Speaker accused of such behavior if found guilty.
It would lance this boil once and for all. Not only that, Legislators would in future know that however powerful they were, there was still a means of Parliament holding them to account and, if necessary, punishing them.
Ahmed Abdulrahman, Kaduna, [email protected]