It is no more news that the attempt to recall Senator Dino Melaye, the representative of Kogi West Senatorial District in the Senate, collapsed like a pack of badly-stacked cards last Saturday. Reports indicate that out of the 189,870 persons who “signed” the petition for the senator’s recall, only 18, 742 signatures were verified by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This is no more than 5.34 percent of the 351, 140 total registered voters in the Senatorial District.
This percentage falls far short of the constitutional requirement that a petition for the recall of any senator or member of House of Representatives must be signed by more than 50 percent (a simple majority) of registered voters in a constituency, whose signatures must be verified by INEC. The recall bid must then be subjected to a referendum which must also be approved by more than 50 percent of registered voters in the constituency.
The signature verification exercise conducted for Melaye’s recall witnessed a very low turnout. That was not totally unexpected, as there had been allegations that the list of persons who signed the recall petition was replete with forgeries and the names of dead and fictitious persons. Reports indicate that many of the people in the senatorial constituency were either not aware of the verification exercise or abreast with the “offences” alleged to have been committed by the senator. Many members of the constituency were shown going about their daily activities, apparently unaware of the verification exercise. The failed recall is the climax of a week in which the senator was arrested, reportedly jumped off a vehicle in which he was being conveyed by the police, and landed in the hospital. He had been involved in a long running battle with his state governor, Yayaha Bello, and had at a time alleged a gun attack on his house, for which he is being questioned by the police for allegedly supplying guns to the supposed attackers.
There has been no love lost between Melaye, Governor Bello and the Presidency. The dancing senator, who frequently releases videos in which he mocks his political adversaries, and also loves displaying his range of exotic vehicles, is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). But, he is of the Senate President Bukola Saraki faction of the party which has been at loggerheads with the Presidency since it dribbled its way to the Senate leadership at the inception of this administration in 2015.
What are the lessons from Melaye’s failed recall? First, but not the most important, is that it is very difficult to get elected persons, including members of the National Assembly out of office, using the regular constitutional means. It is not only difficult but almost impossible, considering our lukewarm electorate and the different political interests that would come into play.
The process is also very expensive, going by reports that the persons behind this particular recall bid committed up to N5 billion Kogi State funds to the gambit. Although such an allegation cannot be verified, it is clear that a lot of money must have gone into the recall petition process and its infiltration with the names of non-existent persons and those who never signed the petition. Some people also claimed to have been paid certain sums of money to sign the petition. In a country where some people, out of hunger, clannishness, ignorance or mischief, readily sell their votes, it is easy to believe that this actually happened. Mercifully, the gambit failed.
So many interpretations have been given to the failed recall attempt. For the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which championed the “Dino must stay campaign” in furtherance of its own campaign against the APC leadership in the state, the failure of the recall is a confirmation of the unpopularity of Governor Yahaya Bello. What is, however, clear is that the failed bid had the imprimaturs of the state governor; INEC, which did not really behave like a disinterested arbiter that it should be; the APC and the Presidency, which failed to rein in the gambit in its early days. Even the police force, which was used to arrest Melaye shortly before the verification exercise, did not portray itself as a neutral party in the whole affair.It is, therefore, good that the people of Kogi West stood their ground and did not allow the verification process to go through as expected. The people insisted that their Senator had done no wrong and should not be recalled and they had their way. Recall of elected representatives is a very serious process that should not be trifled with. If it is to be deployed as an instrument for the removal of erring members of the National Assembly, it should be used only when there are serious infractions of the law and the members of the lawmakers’ constituencies have truly lost confidence in them and are ready to remove them from office. It should not be based on political machinations of any governor, president or any other political office holder/holders, no matter how highly placed.
Before herdsmen sack Buhari
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) called out its members in protest against the incessant killing of Christians in Benue State and some other parts of the country last Sunday. This was even as the Catholic Pontiff, leader of the world’s two billion or so Catholics, openly condemned the attacks on Nigerian churches at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City. The protests, which saw Christians in many states donning black attires and carrying placards denouncing the unending killing of Christians in the country, is one of the first national protests against the increasing herdsmen massacres in the country.
Some of the protesters, on their placards, said President Muhammadu Buhari had offended the Christian community by allowing herdsmen to kill Pastors and other Christians at will. They said the community would, therefore, not support Buhari’s second term ambition. The protests and special prayers on herdsmen massacres were reported to have held at some churches in Benue, Kogi, Plateau, Ekiti, Delta and Ondo States, and the Federal Capital Territory, (Abuja). What is clear from these protests is that the body of Christians in Nigeria is angry about the endless killings. The growing anger in the country over the killings has grave implications for the Buhari regime which is still trying to convince Nigerians that it is on the track and will take Nigeria to the promised land of peace, progress and stability.
Beyond the supposed achievements and failures of the government, the herdsmen crisis is one which can totally turn the hearts of the people against the government. It is a problem for which there can be no excuses or redeeming features. It cannot be explained away as a sacrifice which the people must make for the country to move forward, as the government often explains other problems. So, the only way out is for the government to rein in the herdsmen and bring the killings to an end. Buhari must end the herdsmen massacres, or the massacres will abort his second term dream. It is as simple as that
The Sunday protests by CAN members are, therefore, a timely wake-up call to the government to rein in the herdsmen. Outcries against the killings are now resounding from all quarters of Christiandom. A call has been made in high quarters for the president to issue a last warning to the security chiefs to sit up or get kicked out. Buhari should do just this. Foreign herdsmen should not be given the leeway to lord it over the country or hold any part of it to ransom.