Majority of the lawmakers desire good leadership which has the capacity to strengthen the House as an institution of democracy in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s slogan of transformation, a major policy thrust of his newly inaugurated government. The President himself reiterated this in his inaugural speech on Sunday. Besides, a stable House will generate quality lawmaking and step up thorough oversighting that will complement the efforts of the executive arm of government in a manner that could encourage the accomplishment of the dreams of the President as enunciated in his campaign promises.

However, in the face of the resolve of the House members to enthrone a credible set of leaders in accordance with their belief in the abilities of certain individuals to give exemplary leadership, is a seeming meddlesome posture of the PDP in the internal processes of the House which smacks of imposition. According to reports, the PDP has zoned the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the South West, and the ruling party, believably acting at the behest of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Party, is determined to impose a candidate on the House. But several reports attributed to groups of new and old members of the House show resilience of the lawmakers to kick against any imposition that will either make the House a hypnotized lame duck or at best tie it to the apron strings of some former leaders.

The desperation of the PDP to impose leaders on the House despite the desire of the elected representatives of the people to enthrone leaders of their choice may not be in the interest of the people, the House and that of President Goodluck Jonathan for a number of reasons.

The South West geopolitical zone, where the PDP has zoned the position of the Speaker to, did not deliver for the party in the just concluded general elections. The PDP failed woefully in the South West. Apart from losing the governorship elections to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in most States in the South West, only a handful of members of the House were elected from the zone on the platform of the PDP. The implication is that if a Speaker is elected from that zone he will not have a political base upon which he will rely for political engineering process. And as is usually the case, the President and indeed the party, cannot rely on such a Speaker to deliver in terms of need because he lacks political followership.

And if the PDP insists on imposing leaders on the House, it might as well be prepared to square it up with the opposition in the House because out of the 360 members, the PDP has 200 while the remaining 160 are from the opposition parties, especially the ACN and the CPC. Since many PDP members have resolutely and consistently kicked against zoning of the position of the Speaker to the South West, they can comfortably team up with the opposition to decide against imposition.

Democracy is about the wish of the majority, and since the majority of the members has set aside their party differences and seems determined to work together for the common good and the integrity of the House, it behoves on the party to respect such overwhelming partnership and allow the members to elect their leaders devoid of imposition using the excuse of zoning which the party has already desecrated.

Not a few Nigerians believe that the mandate which President Jonathan just got is in defiance of the zoning arrangement of the PDP. It is widely understood that power was supposed to shift to the north for another eight years after President Obasanjo, a southerner, had it for eight years. But since his successor, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, could not complete his eight years on account of his death, several critics made case for another northerner to succeed him. But the PDP insisted that President Jonathan, a southerner must contest despite the zoning arrangement of the PDP under which power was to remain in the north for another four years. With this, the PDP has no moral right to insist on zoning in the case of the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives because it cannot have one set of rules at one time and another set at other times whenever it suits it. What is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander and the party should be consistent in applying its rules otherwise it will set dangerous precedence that could become the party’s albatross in the nearest future.

It would be recalled that in the build up to the primary elections of the PDP and the attendant controversy over zoning which former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former military President Ibrahim Babangida fought for, the PDP acknowledged that there was zoning but insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan could also contest for the presidency. That party position, though ambiguous, was adhered to. In like manner, the party should allow a level playing field in the House as it did in the case of the presidential election. That way, the controversy over which zone should produce the Speaker will be finally rested.

Why it is necessary for the PDP, and indeed the President, not to meddle in the choice of a Speaker for the House of Representatives is that under the constitutional democracy being practiced in Nigeria, the principle of separation of power is sacrosanct and must neither be abused nor set aside. It requires each arm of government to concentrate on its constitutional responsibilities to promote effective checks and balances that will strengthen the democratic process. Once the parliament is inaugurated, the President should tread softly, in order not to be seen as either overtly or covertly interfering in the internal processes of the House. It could be misinterpreted as a ploy to destabilize the parliament and could be listed as an impeachable offence against him.

Muhammed Danlami is a public affairs analyst residing in Garki Abuja.