Saraki and the 8th Senate

Politics isn’t just about codified laws it’s also about decency, ethics and morality. Nigerian politicians toss aside these other considerations and concentrate on finding loopholes in rules and regulations which allow them to play the politics of mischief.The last thing the nation requires at this point in time is political tomfoolery. What transpired in the […]

Politics isn’t just about codified laws it’s also about decency, ethics and morality. Nigerian politicians toss aside these other considerations and concentrate on finding loopholes in rules and regulations which allow them to play the politics of mischief.
The last thing the nation requires at this point in time is political tomfoolery. What transpired in the Senate falls into this category, and definitely wasn’t either a good precedent or in the national interest. All the backslapping and self-congratulation in the camp of the winners, ignores the fact that the Senate is the overall loser. “Distinguished” Senators appear oblivious to the low esteem in which they are held by the general public. Every year billions are squandered subsidising their lifestyles with no discernible benefits. On a daily basis the electorate see TV pictures of Senate conducting its business in a virtually empty chamber. Now the same poor standards have been deemed acceptable for the process of electing its principal officers. Ethically and morally the whole episode was indecent and improper.
Everywhere else in the world, the cardinal feature of democracy is party supremacy. The Nigerian people voted All Progressives Congress (APC) only for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to defeat them in the Senate which is now led by a President who belongs to the New PDP and Deputy President who belongs to the old PDP. The whole episode highlights the fact President Buhari needs to be more politically astute. He failed to wade into the matter and act in a decisive manner. In addition he made the mistake of stating openly that he had no interest in whoever emerges as Senate President, without making any reference to party loyalty or taking into consideration the peculiarities of individuals involved. Senator Bukola Saraki indicated both his intention to seek the Senate Presidency and his unwillingness to bow to the authority of the party which had chosen a different candidate. He should have been taken more seriously. Variously described as “sly, power hungry, arrogant, egocentric and corrupt” – he is indeed the consummate Nigerian politician!
As with the bulk of his contemporaries his commitment to a political party isn’t based upon ideology or manifesto, but merely as a vehicle to achieve his personal ambitions. He succeeded by robustly defying his party and making a deal with the opposition, thereby revealing the monumental hollowness that lies at the heart of our democracy. The APC is in a quandary with a Senate President who has openly disrespected both his party chairman and the Vice-President of the country. Throughout his political career Bukola Saraki has been accused of prospering from disrespect and disloyalty. The first accuser was his own father, then his sister, then the PDP. It would have been completely out of character for him to show loyalty to the APC or its national leadership. True to type he ignored the change mantra and employed all the old tricks that PDP was known for. To have any hope of turning the nation around President Buhari requires a legislature that has his same passion for the anti-corruption war and due process. Saraki’s antecedents in this matter leave a lot to be desired.
Many have expressed reservations over his history with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in respect of his activities as Governor of Kwara State, his interests in Savannah Bank, fuel subsidy claims, and power sector privatization. Accused by opponents of lacking integrity, patriotism, and the will or zeal to lead a progressive Senate, his supporters believe he is the “best” candidate for the post. This is perhaps less a reflection of any outstanding abilities on his part, and more a reflection of the poor calibre of his contemporaries in the Senate. While disaffected APC Senators proceed to Court their national leadership have declared that the situation should be accepted as a fait accompli.
Their initial rebuttal of Saraki’s victory and threat of sanctions against “insubordinate and treacherous members”, followed by acceptance of the outcome of the process, portrays them as dithering and indecisive. National Publicity Secretary of the PDP Olisa Metuh crowing over his party’s “victory”, claimed the whole episode is proof that APC can’t cover up their naivety, inexperience, and unpreparedness for governance. Certainly there is no denying that the failure to get Senators together to leverage on its majority has exposed serious disunity and lack of coordination in the party.
While claiming anno-yance at the rebellion Presi-dent Buhari’s statement that the process was constitu-tional, coupled with his aloofness is bound to cause more disaffection among APC legislators who allege that neither himself nor the Party Chairman are showing leadership in the face of the contending aspirations for power within the party. Nigerian politics is very superficial lacking principles, decency, depth, direction and quality. The APC with their change mantra were supposed to rectify this situation and bring higher standards into governance. The beginnings of the 8th Senate is evidence that nothing has really changed and the solution isn’t likely to come from this present crop of politicians.