We welcome constitutional roles for deputy governors

The office of the deputy governor is, hierarchically, the second most important office after that of the governor at the state level in Nigeria. Indeed, no governorship candidature is valid without a running mate, who automatically becomes deputy in the event of victory at the polls. In our experience since 1999, however, the working relationship […]

The office of the deputy governor is, hierarchically, the second most important office after that of the governor at the state level in Nigeria. Indeed, no governorship candidature is valid without a running mate, who automatically becomes deputy in the event of victory at the polls. In our experience since 1999, however, the working relationship between governors and their deputies has always been frosty because the role of the latter has not been clearly defined.

Section 193 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution, for instance, states that “The Governor of a State may, in his discretion, assign to the Deputy Governor or any Commissioner of the Government of the State responsibility for any business of the Government of that State, including the administration of any department of Government.”

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And Section 191 (1) also states that: “The Deputy Governor of a State shall hold the office of Governor of the State if the office of Governor becomes vacant by reason of death, resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or removal of the governor from office for any other reason in accordance with Section 188 or 189 of this constitution.”

Constitutionally, therefore, the role of a deputy governor is overly dependent on the pleasures of the governor, except in the circumstances listed in Section 191 (1). Many political observers say this often leads to friction between the pair. And rather than use this discretion for the smooth running of government, some governors see it as an opportunity to show who is in charge. Very few governors assign their deputies supervisory roles over certain government ministries and agencies. We have had many cases where state governors travel out of the country for months without handing-over to their deputies, to the detriment of the state as a whole. Others limit them only to participating in the state executive meeting and attending public functions which the governor is unable to attend.

As a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, said recently, while reviewing a book ‘Deputising and Governance in Nigeria’ written by Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, “It is not for nothing that the concept of “Spare tyre” came to be applied to the deputy governor/vice president in Nigerian discourses; for somebody that only becomes functional briefly, when the car runs a ground!”

Jega added that “In the relationship [between governors and their deputies], as it currently obtains, in spite of the legal provisions for a ‘joint ticket’ and requirements of courtesy and common decency, there’s often no delegation of authority, no power sharing, no inclusive participation; rather there is relegation, mutual distrust, disloyalty and/or expectations of streaks of sycophancy. It gets so bad that some governors often instigate state legislators to ‘impeach’ their deputies, and the legislators sheepishly, or recklessly, tag along.”

 It is a testament to the kind of relationship existing between governors and their deputies that, since the return to democratic rule in 1999, there have been only a handful of cases where an outgoing governor willingly supported their deputies to emerge as governors. Nigerian governors, who more often than not influence who emerges as candidate of their party in election, mostly look beyond their deputies in anointing their successors because they can’t trust them not to seek revenge when in power.

On the other hand, many deputy governors spend most of their days in office scheming to replace their principals, thereby distracting the latter.

It is a good thing, therefore, that Governor Ganduje, who himself has served as deputy governor and now as governor, would put his experiences in a book for the benefit of contemporary and future generations of leaders at the state level.

We also support the call for constitutional role for them as made by former President Goodluck Jonathan. We are of the opinion that, to avoid friction between governors and their deputies, which often frustrates governance, deputy governors should be carried along in the business of government. They should be allowed to take charge when their principals are indisposed as well as accorded respect, especially by other government officials, from commissioners to state heads of agencies and parastatals.

Specific roles could also be created for deputy governors in the constitution, which will make them active and give them a chance to contribute their quota to the development of their states. For instance, the vice president, who is to the president what a deputy is to a governor, in addition to being a member of the Federal Executive Council and Chairman of the National Economic Council, is also assigned supervisory role over certain government agencies.

However, we must make it clear to deputy governors that there can never be two governors in one state at the same time. Our constitution does not have room for a co-governorship, and deputy governors must be under no illusion on this. We must also not give powers to deputy governors to such an extent that they will begin to compete for influence with governors, lest we cause more problems in the country than we are trying to solve.