Friday, January 20, 2006 Political Notes
Bolade Omonijo

SELDOM does a political analyst have something to cheer in this clime. Most often, political office holders decide to make life difficult for the people or do things antithetical to the interest of the common man, and there is no way a writer could gloss over such things.

Last week, the Enugu State governor gave some of us something to cheer in this season of brigandage and consistent rape of the supreme law of the land. Governor Chimaroke Nnamani whose officials had been invited by the anti-corruption agents at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to explain how local government funds were being disbursed chose not only to show up at the commission and secure the release of his men, but accepted full responsibility for his government’s expenditure.

Anyone who has any knowledge of how the Enugu State government works would accept that the governor is personally involved in designing the revenue and expenditure pattern and procedure of the government. He has a very vibrant Due Process Office that screens all contract awards and the young man who heads the unit reports directly to the governor.

But, many other public officials would have been so glad to sacrifice lower level official. Nnamani chose to be different. He went a little further. He challenged the EFCC to probe fully into the administration of funds in the state. And, unlike most other governors, the governor said he was willing to waive his immunity under the constitution to answer charges, assist investigation and if need be stand trial. That was a very bold move that only someone supremely confident of the steps he had taken could have made. Nnamani deserves commendation for this very unusual step.

One could only appeal to the governors of Plateau and Taraba States, among others to take similar steps. Many Nigerians have already called for the abrogation of the immunity clause, others have said it should be restricted to civil cases, but the Nnamani example have shown that the office holders themselves have a large role to play in restoring the confidence of the people in the democratic process. Otherwise, whatever is done with the constitution, the country would be doomed.

Civil society moves to fight injustice in the system

One good thing arising  from the impeachment saga in Oyo State is the resolve of the civil society comprising the Bar association, labour and non-governmental associations to fight the dictates from Abuja.
The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria rose from a meeting in Lagos sending a strong-worded petition to the National Judicial Council seeking sanctions on the Acting Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Adeniran for allegedly crossing the line of decency. The Oyo State branch of the Nigeria bar Association had earlier decided to boycott the Chief Judges court for allegedly violating the well known rules that governm judicial administration. He was said to have been a respondent in a case before Justice Bolaji Yusuf of Ibadan High Court 4. He was said to have been represented before her lordship and his counsel was said to have entered into an undertaking that no further action would be taken on the case until the substantive case was disposed off. But the Chief Judge reneged on the agreement, wilfully disobeyed the judgement and went ahead to act on the report of the investigating panel on the alleged gross misconduct of former Governor Ladoja.
It is good that an otherwise conservative group like the NBA or the body of lawyers could take the kind of position that they have.

But, it must also be pointed out that the action came a little lete. Where were the learned men when the notice signed by the 18 lawmakers was forwarded to the ex-governor? Where was the civil society when the Ag. CJ acted on the notice and set up the panel? Why didn’t the well meaning people rise when the panel started sitting? Next time, bus drivers and activists should act when their action could make the difference.

President Obasanjo and Ladoja’s impeachment

As the President visited the Oyo State capital on the eve of the impeachment of ex-Governor Rashidi Ladoja, all eyes were on him to halt the process and thereby breath peace into the state once again. That was the expectation of the Ibadan elite. It was the fervent wish of Papa Emmanuel Alayande with whom the President had come all the way from Abuja to felicitate on his attaining the grand old age of 96.

But Obasanjo had a different agenda. Ladoja must go at all cost. As he had earlier indicated in his Ibogun village where he hosted dignitaries during the Christmas celebrations, and, as his close aides, Chief Olabode George and Chief Yinka Omilani had indicated, the only recipe for peace was for the governor to accept that Baale Molete should dictate how public fund in Oyo State should be dispensed.

Some of my colleagues have blamed the crisis in Oyo State on the document called the 1999 Constitution. I do not buy the idea. As imperfect as the 1999 Constitution is, the problem is the level of debasement of the system. The Ladoja removal was not the first in the history of the country. Once upon a time, in the Second Republic, a man named Balarabe Musa was impeached in a state called Kaduna. The man faced political persecution and trial, and was eventually hauled out of office.

While the act was condemned by many well meaning Nigerians who felt that the ruling National Party of Nigeria merely used their majority standing in the state House of Assembly to overturn the peoples mandate, no one could say that the lawmakers brazenly abridged the law as has been done in Oyo State  in this instance. It is indeed the beginning of the end. When all powers are concentrated in one hand, the President’s, as is the case today, and yet the President is so hungry that he goes about acquiring even more, then the drum sounding so loud can only burst.