By Ayo Oyoze Baje
Credible information is the oxygen of democracy. It breathes and thrives on it, not on listless lies, riling rues, sheer subterfuge, half-truths, cover-ups and clear misinformation of the public. Unfortunately, Nigerians have been regaled with a good dose of the aforementioned since the return of democracy in 1999. Guilty of this insidious, untoward attribute are some members of the much-favoured political class, who are always out to twist the truth, to satiate their obscene whims and caprices.
For instance, while Section 145(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, clearly spells out that state functions shall be discharged by the Vice President, as the Acting President, in the absence of the president, meanings are being read into the phrase, “coordinate the activities of government”, as contained in President Buhari’s recent letter, for more reasons than one. True, he has done the right thing by transmitting a written declaration, as constitutionally demanded, that he is proceeding on vacation to both the Senate President and the Speaker, House of Assembly. But why the controversy, we must ask ourselves?
One of such, as identified by Senator Ohuabunwa, is that: “I do not think in our constitution we have anything like coordinating president or coordinating vice president. It is either you are the vice president or you are the acting president.” Though his observation has been described as an exaggeration, critical observers of the murky polity have ascribed his stance to the swelling influence of the so called cabal. Even Aisha Buhari, wife of the President had a few months back ventilated her angst at what she viewed as the overbearing pulling of strings by this group. And only recently, Dr. Junaid Muhammed, a former senator, went a step further in a newspaper interview to name five members of the inner circle of the top hierarchy of government. That is, the power brokers who have been dictating our democratic tunes for some two years now.
The gnawing fear in some quarters, therefore, is that the transmission of presidential power must have been done grudgingly, with some concerned citizens admonishing Osinbajo to watch his back! To such observers, a ‘coordinator’ may not necessarily exercise full constitutional rights over those who have the authority to do whatever suits them in their various ministries, departments and parastatals. The insinuation, sad as it seems, is that a coordinator may still kowtow to some other powerful forces. Indeed, this may be stretching one’s imagination a little too far, for those of this dark view. But, it is the dilemma and danger we face today.
So, must the Nigerian nation walk another tight rope, to avoid political pitfalls occasioned by the ambiguity trailing the transmission of power with the recurring ill health of President Muhammadu Buhari? That is the question that comes to mind. It would be recalled that when the then President Umaru Yar’Adua left Nigeria on 23 November, 2009, it was reported that he was receiving treatment for pericarditis at a clinic in Saudi Arabia. For months, he was sequestered from the public. His absence created a potentially explosive power vacuum in the country.
Such was the situation that in December 2009, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, then president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), stated that Yar’Adua should have handed over power to the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan in an acting capacity during his illness. This statement got the backing of the NBA national executive committee. Subsequently, on 22 January, 2010, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had fourteen days to decide whether Yar’Adua was “incapable of discharging the functions of his office”.
On 10 February, 2010, the Senate controversially used the “doctrine of necessity” to transfer presidential powers to the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, and declared him Acting President, with all the accompanying powers, until Yar’Adua returned to full health. On 24 February, 2010, Yar’Adua returned to Abuja under the cover of darkness. His state of health was unclear, but there was speculation that he was on a life support machine. The rest, as they say is history. But, there are lessons to glean from the unfolding political drama.
The current scenario creates the notion that members of the political party in power are not of one accord when sensitive national issues crop up. Were they brought together by any binding political philosophy, someone has asked? Or, are we to believe the public affairs analyst who recently noted, that “their common hatred for erstwhile President Jonathan has brought us all to this mess!” Time will tell.
Also, the mishandling of the information relating to the president’s ill health, concerning different versions relayed to the public when he embarked on his first trip to the United Kingdom early this year, runs against the grain of the Freedom of Information Act. Section 2(1) of the Act establishes “the right of any person to access or request information, whether or not contained in any written form, which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution, however described.” This right is guaranteed. We need to know the health status of our public officers, who as servant-leaders, should be accountable to the people.
Beyond that, the new political undercurrent underscores our fragile unity as a nation. The mutual distrust between the north and the south persists, admit it or not. It has, therefore, become imperative for us to take a second look at the far-reaching recommendations of the 2014 National Confab Report.
But, what matters most for now, is for all Nigerians of different ethnic colourations or religious persuasions to rally round Vice President Osinbajo to succeed. He has amply demonstrated the capacity to do so. We recall the mature, subtle handling of the bombing of oil pipelines by militants in the Niger-Delta zone, stemming the killing spree of Christians by herdsmen in Southern Kaduna and the shoring up the value of the naira. With our unreserved support, he can do more. For, power ultimately belongs to God and He gives it to whoever He so desires.
Baje writes from Lagos