The last time I checked, various legislatures
across the contemporary Nigerian society had in one occasion or the other
violated or broken the law which they are bound to safeguard.
The most popular phenomenon in this
regard is impeachment saga, which has abruptly become a norm. Currently, one would
hardly wake without hearing that a certain state assembly speaker alongside
other principal officers of the House is about to be impeached, or has already
been shown the way out, probably for a frivolous or selfish purpose.
Sometimes
you would hear that a particular deputy governor or even a governor is passing
through suchlike fate or ordeal in the hands of the legislators. This
uncultured practice has continued unabated that most concerned Nigerians have
wondered if the so-called impeachment process took place during the midnight at
one of the lawmakers’ abode.
The Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, as amended –
likewise the laws of the various states – categorically stipulates the
procedure through which any intending impeachment could be actualized, but it’s
very baffling that some so-called lawmakers would wake one morning to inform
the general public that they had ‘successfully’ impeached the governor, deputy
governor, or speaker, as the case may be.
Funnily enough, the clerk of the
affected house would welcome or assent to such unconstitutional and nauseous
conduct, thus agree to swear-in the beneficiaries of the baseless impeachment
who had claimed to have taken over the leadership of the assembly.
The most recent of the unfortunate
circumstance were the ones that transpired in Benue, Imo and Kano States.
Pitiably, like what happened in Enugu State barely few years ago in the case of
the former Deputy Governor of the state, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, the judiciary –
owing to prolonged delay in prosecution – would only reverse such wrongful act
after the tenure of the affected officer has elapsed.
This, therefore, implies that there’s a
compelling need to strengthen the country’s judiciary in its entirety. There ought
to be duration for any ongoing prosecution irrespective of the circumstance.
The prosecution of a certain lawsuit should be meant to constitutionally last
within a stipulated period of time. Such approach would tremendously save
plaintiffs from unsolicited prolonged wait.
Aside
impeachment, sometimes you would observe the lawmakers acting funny such as
dodging a certain plenary, indulgence in a fracas, and creation of inconsequential factions,
among other forms of contempt.
A
legislature is the lawmaking ambit of a political unit that has power to amend
and repeal public policies. It’s an assembly of persons that makes statutory
laws for a municipality, state, or nation, as might be the case.
A legislative body constitutionally
deserves to be well respected in any society where it exists because it creates
a complex interaction between its individual members, committees, political
parties, rules of parliamentary procedure and informal norms.
A legislature is the embodiment of the
doctrine of popular sovereignty, which recognizes that the people are the
source of all political powers. In advanced democracies, citizens choose via
popular votes the persons that would serve them as their legislators or
representatives because they understand the sensitive nature of a legislator’s
responsibilities.
The representatives are expected to be
sensitive to the needs of their constituents and to represent their common
interest in the legislature, thus they need to take cognizance of the people’s
feelings regarding any action they intend to carry out.
In
view of these facts, the legislators at all levels who are expected to control,
criticize, supervise and scrutinize the administration or activities of the
executive as well as influence the policies of the government aren’t meant to at
all cost indulge in any thought, action or inaction that would attract public
criticism or condemnation.
The existing political parties that remain the
primary political homes of these lawmakers have a very vital role to play in
this aspect since every legislator is an affiliate of a certain party. It’s
their duty to call any of their members to order when the need arises, make
them acknowledge that they are not just representing their respective constituencies
but also the party as well as suspend them indefinitely if need be.
The
lawmakers ought to be the first class constitution activists, thus the
constitution should always guide every move they make, their utterances and how
they relate with the public. They are invariably expected to speak unanimously
because the same tool or principle is guiding them.
It’s
noteworthy that due to their inability to establish one voice in most
occasions, their positions are often abused by the members of the executive
arm, thereby ridiculing their stance or immunity.
We need
to wake up from our slumbers. It’s high time we told ourselves nothing but the
gospel truth. Our democracy has suffered an untold hardship because we refuse
to face the reality. The reality remains that every democratic state must be
guided or controlled by the language of the constitution. The rule of law must
be observed as a priority, hence shouldn’t be maltreated by anyone in a
position of authority.
Why
would you attempt to break what you took your precious time to make, rather
than safeguarding it? Think about it!
Comrade FDN Nwaozor
National Coordinator,
Right Thinkers Movement
_________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter: @mediambassador
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