Executive/Legislature
Face-Off: Enough of this Executive Recklessness
We have observed with great shock the relentless campaign of
calumny orchestrated by the executive arm of government to silence the
legislature with the inordinate aim of riding roughshod over Nigerians without
being checked.
This severe campaign follows impudent acts of autocracy and
tyranny against the senate in particular and the national assembly in general
by the executive with the sole aim of undermining the senate and emasculating the
national assembly for very obvious reasons.
After having succeeded in intimidating, harassing and nearly
emasculating the judiciary, it is only natural that to complete the job of
routing every democratic impediment to the excesses and recklessness of the
executive, the legislature is their next port of call.
These unfortunate developments have put us as a nation at the
great risk of descending speedily into the unenviable state of anomie, anarchy,
chaos and doom where impunity reigns supreme.
These follows the continued denigration, humiliation and
scurrilous attacks visited on the other arms of government by an overbearing
executive that has found it extremely difficult to subject itself to the
principles and tenets of democracy which include “separation of powers” and
“checks and balances”.
The latest attacks on the senate in particular has not come
to discerning Nigerians as a surprise as we all saw the handwriting on the wall
a long time ago.
For an executive which disobeys court orders with impunity,
insolently defying the judiciary in the process and ridiculing that arm of
government with disparaging comments from government officials just to serve
their own pecuniary interests, we knew it was only a matter of time for the
legislature to become its next victim.
We are even more appalled by the defence put up by some
prominent Nigerians for the excesses of the executive. These hypocrites who
have joined in bitterly criticizing the senate over its rejection of Ibrahim
Magu as the substantive chairman of the EFCC, hailed the DSS reports that were
used to intimidate and harass the judiciary recently but have turned around to
ignore, reject and even criticize the same DSS’ report with all its weighty
allegations against Magu.
Would it have been advisable for the senate to ignore such
security report and confirm Magu just to satisfy the whims and caprices of a
few individuals in the executive at the expense of national security and image?
Even the DSS report concluded that “Magu has failed the integrity test and will
eventually constitute a liability to the anti-corruption drive of the present
administration”. Why should any right thinking citizen expect the senate to
ignore this warning?
In fact, in other climes where there is still a modicum of
morality and integrity among the executive arm of government, Mr Ibrahim Magu
should by now have been arrested and prosecuted based on the report of the DSS
against him, rather he is enjoying the patronage of those who are too blind to
see the incurable injury they are causing our democracy just to spite the
senate.
Furthermore, it is quite laughable that the same Magu who has
been described as fearless by his patrons has not been able to muster the
necessary courage to move against Dr Kayode Fayemi, Rotimi Amaechi and a
plethora of other executive officials serving in this “saintly” government
despite the petitions and evidence against them.
It is very obvious that the senate has become a scapegoat and
an instrument of distraction in the hands of the executive to divert the
attention of Nigerians from the biting hunger in the land, infrastructural
coma, collapse of power and the abysmal state of the nation’s economy which the
Buhari-led government has plunged us into.
Rather than dissipate energy on undermining the senate just
to score needless cheap political points, we urge the executive to wake up to
its responsibilities and stop the wanton killings going on all over the nation,
obey court orders, stem the nation’s unabated descent into autocracy and rescue
the economy. It is only after this has been done that they can boast of any
moral right to criticize other arms of government.
Finally, we hereby call on the Senate and the House of
Representatives not to allow themselves to be cowed by the antics of
anti-democratic forces in the executive and other places trying to impose
military-styled rule upon the nation through the backdoor. We shall resist such
antics to the last!
Based on the foregoing, we have concluded plans and started
mobilizing other CSOs and good-spirited Nigerians to defend democracy and the
institution of the legislature by staging a solidarity rally to the national
assembly on 6th of April, 2017.
This has become necessary because we know there cannot be
democracy without the legislature and where there is a weak legislature fascism
rules.
We say enough of this executive recklessness!
Signed:
1) Jude Ndukwe
Convener, Movement for the Advancement of
National Transformation (MANTRA)
2) Ariyo Dare-Atoye
Co-Convener, Coalition in Defence of
Nigerian Democracy and Coalition (CDNDC)
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