The turn of events in the
polity in recent weeks appear too grave to be ignored. For a country
that is working towards passing the first real test that a democratic
transition imposes, the cataclysm that has suddenly arrested the polity
gives cause for concern.
The stage for this unpalatable state of affairs was set by the
embarrassing feud between President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President
Atiku Abubakar. They have, through their open hostility, diminished
their statures and also debased the offices they occupy. Given the
danger which their altercations pose to the enthronement of a healthy
and an enduring democratic culture, well meaning Nigerians have
denounced their gambits while hoping that they would return to the path
of sanity and honourable conducts that their offices demand.
But while Nigerians are weathering the storm, more faggots appear to
have been introduced into the blazing fire. The Economic and Financial
crimes Commission (EFCC) inflicted a more devastating shock on the
polity when it told Nigerians that virtually all the Governors of the 36
States of the Federation are corrupt. While many of them are being
investigated for alleged acts of corruption and corrupt practices by the
EFCC, the commission claimed that some of them have already been
indicted, going by its investigations.
For country that is fighting relentlessly to stem the growing tide of
corruption in the land, the job of an anti-corruption agency such as the
EFCC would normally excite the people. Unfortunately, the commission has
not confined itself to the limitations imposed on it by its enabling
statute. From being an investigating agency which should forward its
findings and conclusions to an appropriate court or similar agencies
with powers to prosecute, the EFCC appears to be turning itself into a
court of law. It now passes judgment and even condemns before a judicial
trial.
Apparently owing to its impatience with the rule of law, the commission
would no longer allow its verdict of guilt on the governors to pass
through the mills or proper channels of adjudication. Rather, the
legislatures of the affected states are being blackmailed and even
coerced into impeaching their governors. At present, this ugly scenario
is playing out in Ekiti and Plateau States with severely unsavoury
reverberations across the polity.
The absurdity that has, so far, attended the impeachment exercise in
Plateau State is a sad pointer to the abuse of due process. With 16 out
of the 24 legislators of the state House of Assembly being held by the
EFCC for alleged corruption, which presumably was also committed by
every member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, eight of the
legislators curiously met and commenced “impeachment” proceedings
against the governor.
This is a rude slap on constitutionality and the rule of law and in
total defiance of the relevant constitutional provisions. Sadly, they
are carrying out this illegality under the cover and protection of
agents of the Federal Government. Significantly, the people of the state
have rejected this sleight of hand. The riots which broke out in the
state last Friday epitomise their disgust with the present state of
affairs in their state.
The situation in Ekiti State is even more farcical. Here, the state
legislature has assumed the roles that do not belong to it. Its
appointment of an acting Chief Judge to try the governor is a nullity as
it has no constitutional powers to do so. The Chief Justice of Nigeria,
Justice Alpha Belgore, has said this much. Yet, the illegal panel
constituted by the state legislature still purports to be sitting. This
is anarchy writ large.
Nigerians cannot pretend to be unaware of the dangers inherent in this
arm-twisting tactics being employed by the Presidency to get at its
enemies, real or imagined. In its frenzied and ostensible bid to fight
corruption, the president and his cohorts are inflicting more corruption
on the system.
They have violated the democratic norms that we are used to and are
replacing them with acts that smack of crass opportunism and personal
vendetta against perceived enemies. This untoward perception,
regrettably, has done so much to derogate from the importance of the war
on corruption, forcing many to become sceptical of the motive for the
anti-graft crusade. In other words, is it about love for Nigeria, or
settling of political scores? If so, at what price to the development of
our young democracy and national stability? We must reject this
debasement of our democratic values by a miniscule clique of buccaneers
and power seekers.
It is also sad to note that while all this is going on, governance has
come to a halt. Social infrastructure has collapsed. Most of our roads
have become impassable. In fact, there is so much despondency in the
land. In some parts of the country, like the Niger Delta region, for
instance, the frustrations find expression in the violence and
bloodletting that have become a daily fare in the area. Insecurity of
lives and property is on the rise while many public institutions are in
total decay.
Scenarios such as this stifle growth and development as no investor
would find comfort in a hostile environment such as ours. In fact, with
the instruments of coercion and suppression at its disposal, the
Presidency is foisting a siege mentality on the polity. It has thrown
decency and decorum overboard and has, instead, elevated the command
mentality to the level of an art. The overall objective appears to be
geared towards removing as many governors as the Presidency wishes,
using the impeachment weapon as a bait.
We are worried by this wrong application of the impeachment process. The
scenario approximates to vendetta and bad blood. We repudiate this
dangerous path because it is capable of rebounding detrimentally on the
polity. The gale of impeachments is a recipe for anarchy and
instability. It could plunge the country into untold crisis whose
repercursions may be too grave to contain.
We are even more perplexed that this brazenness is being perpetrated at
a time the country is preparing for crucial elections. With just about
six months to the general elections that would usher in a new crop of
leaders, what Nigerians need now is stability, not distraction. To
arrest the slide, the presidency and overzealous agents of government
need to tread cautiously. They should eschew vendetta and witch-hunting
and allow the law to take its course. The EFCC, for instance, should
limit itself to the role assigned to it by the relevant statute. This is
how best it can shun the temptations of arbitrariness and
high-handedness.
The success of the on-going transition programme and the survival of
this democracy are twin indices that would be used to judge the current
democratic dispensation. If they fail, this government would also have
failed. The common denominator in all this is that our democracy must
survive. We do not want any form of military intervention or disruption.
We can avoid this monumental setback by toeing the path of reason and
engaging in civilised conducts. The present state of siege is an ill
wind whose devastating consequences we can ill afford.