The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has come out clearly with a position that the presidency of the Ninth Senate has been zoned to the North-East geo-political zone. Beyond that, the party appears to have indicated in strong terms that its choice for the top job in the upper chamber is Senator Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North).
Next week would be very crucial to the long- and short-term future of Nigeria. It is going to be a week in which Nigeria’s national legislature will elect its new leaders. This would, perhaps, be some of the most politically important days in this year. They would be days in which the most important arm of democratic governance will give indication of the impact it can possibly make towards making progressive governance of the people.
Interests in who heads the upper legislative chamber may be a result of the impact of the not-so-cordial relationship between the federal executive and the outgoing Senate. It was unfortunate that the budget of the federation stalled for seven months without being passed. It was an unprecedented stalemate in the executive-legislature relations that should never happen again.
Whenever and wherever the relation between the executive and the legislature is not smooth, it becomes something like what goes in the saying that ‘when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers’; the grass here being the national economy, the people and governance generally. The cost of bickering between the legislature and the executive is staggering and must be avoided, in order for any government to fulfill its promises to the people.
As the saying goes, experience is the best teacher – no wonder now that the search for a new leadership that will run the affairs of the ninth Senate is ongoing, with emphasis placed on getting a Senate president who is a ranking lawmaker. Also, electing a Senate president who does not have the stain of any form of misconduct. And, one who shares the vision of the ruling party. This would be a Senate president interested in governance, and not in power wrangling. A Senate president who can build bridges, and not head a rubber stamp assembly, even while this is not essentially adversarial. A Senate president who earns the respect of his colleagues, who has the knowledge and broad mindedness to protect the independence of the legislature, whilst equally banking on a good relation with the executive to ensure that, at the end, it is Nigerians who ultimately benefit from the collaboration of the decision-making branches of government.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has come out clearly with a position that the presidency of the Ninth Senate has been zoned to the North-East geo-political zone. Beyond that, the party appears to have indicated in strong terms that its choice for the top job in the upper chamber is Senator Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North). As such, tongues have been wagging and there appears to be contenders who believe that they should also be given a chance. Those who are not happy with the choice of Senator Ahmad Lawan are already making their points in this regard. As an apolitical observer, I seriously feel that this time the APC must get it right and avoid the regrettable happening of 2015, which brought in an unknown tradition in which undeserving folks sabotaged the recruitment process of both the president and deputy president of the Senate.
Even though I am no party man, yet I have followed the National Assembly keenly since 1999; from the leadership of the late Evans Enwerem, to that of the late Chuba Okadigbo, through to the fall of Adolphus Wabara in the Senate, and till date. Those were days of intrigues and fierce competitions for power, executive heavy handedness and external influences that saw the Senate faltering from one crisis to another. The days of the leadership of Senator David Mark can be said to be the most stable period in our legislative history in Nigeria – and this was for obvious reasons. One of these was that there was mutual understanding between the executive and the legislature. Secondly, David Mark came with ranking experience that is necessary for any person to hold the upper chamber together. This kind of stability is what is needed now. I strongly believe that Senator Ahmad Lawan can outrightly bring this stability into the upper legislative chamber because he comes with unrivalled ranking, having been in the National Assembly since 1999. He also comes with the distinct record of having being a member of the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007. His can be described as a rounded record of legislative experience, which I feel the leadership of the Ninth Senate needs to deliver on good governance.
Senator Ahmad Lawan is better known for being a loyal party member with a record of being in the same party since 1999. He has been doing well in attracting projects to his zone, working hard on education and the employment of the youth. He had always been supportive of legislative moves that protect the interest of Nigerians.
I was motivated to write this after a visit to Senator Ahmad Lawan’s zone – in Nguru, Machina, Yusufari and Gashua. At each of these places, I met and spoke with people who said a lot about the qualities of Senator Ahmad Lawan. There is no space to expatiate on these issues presently. During this visit I also came across many projects he brought to his people in the areas of health care, education and agriculture.
At least now, one can say that it makes a lot of good sense for the whole of the lawmakers from the North-East and key political players to support the position of the ruling party. What is needed now is unity and harmony within the party to ensure that the priority of making the legislature work is realised. Although we have to reckon with those who are insinuating that an Ahmad Lawan Senate presidency could turn out as a rubber stamp for the executive, however people are entitled to their opinions, no matter how much these are not backed by evidence. But what renders this assumption most pointless is the fact that Senator Ahmad Lawan is always known to be a strong protector of legislative independence and has always been on the side of the people. The records of his voting pattern so far say it all. On his side, President Muhammadu Buhari has never done anything to interfere with or usurp the powers of the legislature. This also renders fears of a rubber stamp legislature needless. The president has made it clear that he wants to have a legislator that will support his vision for Nigeria on his last term in elective office. He did not say that he wants a rubber stamp. He only wants a legislature that can work for Nigerians.
Robert Alaba, a freelance journalist, writes from Abuja, Nigeria.
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