‘Outgoing governors should take 4-year break before going to Senate’

Associate Professor of Political Science, Kayode Esuola in this chat with our correspondent said most governors aspiring to go into the Senate are not going there for the betterment of their constituency and the society but to continue enjoying the largesse and perks of public office. He said it is time the Nigerian political elites […]

Associate Professor of Political Science, Kayode Esuola in this chat with our correspondent said most governors aspiring to go into the Senate are not going there for the betterment of their constituency and the society but to continue enjoying the largesse and perks of public office. He said it is time the Nigerian political elites stopped the seemingly unending desperation to grab power.

What is your take on the conitnous movement of ex-governors to the Senate?

Most of the issues that we have in Nigeria’s political system lies in the inability to connect theory to practice. In theory, nobody in any political structure in any country has the advantage of getting to know the people in the constituencies, their needs and aspirations, nobody has that advantage more than the governor.

So it is safe to say logically that the governor, if the political system so permits, should be able to get into the Senate and use the experience he has gathered over the years within the constituency to guide and guard further policy making and law making for the betterment of the country.

In theory, it is not an abnormal thing. In fact it should be encouraged. However, that is the theory, the logic of it. In practice however, we know that is not their intention. I mean the political system has demonstrated that over the years. The intention is another attempt to seek coverage.Two, it is to provide another avenue for them to earn all those unimaginably high allowances that they took as governors from the taxpayers’ money.

This is where the problem is. In theory it should be something that should be encouraged because finishing from the position of the governor gives you the opportunity to understand the system of your people in your state so much that you would be able to contribute positively to the development of the country. However, because of the practical situation in which everybody in Nigeria, you don’t need the wisdom of Solomon, knows that they are going there for the largesse.

So because of that, the practical dimension of the Nigerian society, I think the society should continue agitating that after they might have finished eight years in public office with immunity that prevents them from being questioned, they should not go into another. They should at least submit themselves to public scrutiny for another four years so that people are able to hold them accountable for what they did or did not do while in power.

Then after four years, maybe, for the purpose of that theoretical analysis that I gave, to the extent that they would be able to make good laws for the people, after four years of becoming ordinary citizens, then they might return to public office. But the law permits it and there is nothing anybody can do apart from the civil society agitating for a law that will not be punitive but that will give the caveat that after serving for four years or eight years with full immunity as a governor, you should submit yourself to public scrutiny in another four years. After that, if your records are clean, probably you would have been vindicated, then you can now go to the Senate.

 

How will you describe the contest and process which often pushes out others?   

It is very unhealthy for the political system, very unhealthy for democracy, very unhealthy for governance, very unhealthy for the future of the country in terms of the general socioeconomic development. However, every Nigerian knows the volatility of our elections – whether presidential, gubernatorial, senatorial or even local government. You are aware of the controversy that has greeted the local government election holding in Lagos on Saturday. There have been allegations and counter allegations and all sorts of things.

 

What’s responsible for this?

I think looking at our own scenario, power is sought for its sake, not for any reason that has to do with the betterment of the political system and when people seek power in Nigeria and many Third World countries of the world, they use that power to crush any opposition in their way. Security, power crushes it, if it is about money, power breaks it, if it is about influence, power commands it.

But it is an anomaly, it shouldn’t be. It is time that the Nigerian political class begin to understand that power is expected to promote the yearnings and aspirations of the people, to build a better society and the Third World countries should stop using power to crush the opposition, to amass wealth, to do primitive accumulation at the expense of the development of the people.

 

 Who will lead this battle to stop the excesses of leaders in trying to grab power?

Unfortunately I didn’t say that with the idea of somebody leading it in mind. History of social changes, history of revolution is not about somebody or a group. Most, if not all of the social revolutions that had occurred around the world, came out of spontaneity. Ted Gore captures this in his frustration and aggression theory.

So, I do not envisage one person or one group to sponsor that bill. Social change can occur at any point in time.