By Eneh John
The senate president, Mr.Bukola Saraki who is a PDP decampee, has been a thorn in the flesh of the party since after the general elections. Bukola has formed a parallel group in the senate trying to dictate the pace in the Buhari’s administration.
With his unanswered case at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), it leaves Saraki with the option of running the office of the senate president and going to the courts for trial.
His continued romance with the Peoples Democratic Party Senators who swung victory in his favour is not what the APC should take lightly.
Saraki should be treated as an outcast in the party. Bukola Saraki is yet to meet with Buhari, despite the president acknowledging his Senate Presidency.
Saraki should be made to declare his assets, the last account of the National Assembly should be audited and the findings made public.
It is obvious that the National Assembly members make more money than University Professors. The allowances should be cut down, all the cost of running National Assembly should be pruned and they should be made part time workers with part time salaries.
The disbursement of constituency allowance should be stopped as it makes no sense, which is just to enrich few individuals in the name of Senators or Representatives. The essence of election is that it has consequences and in the case of APC, it is change.
Nigerians have to change for change to take place in the civil society.
What we witness at the National Assembly is nothing but a repudiation of the very thing that Nigerians not too long ago voted against. Politics of me first and the country last; the people might have been disregarded and disrespected yet again by the PDP colognes in APC.
The constitution provides for three arms of government that we know and it is the norm that the majority of the members of the legislature of any given party control the leadership position of that body. This is so to enable that body perform its sworn function according to the constitution.
Consequently, if PDP had more legislators they were expected to elect the officers. PDP having lost power though not in the constitution cannot and should not offer any body for leadership position but must occupy the minority offices as they are in opposition.
This would be different if a government of national unity was formed to embrace all parties. Since it is not, can the PDP tell Nigerians what their legislative agenda is and why they should even contact the senate Deputy President? Is it the accolade of the position they seek or the very idea that they are part of the APC government.
APC must right this anomaly and a vote of no confidence is very proper. The disenfranchisement of elected official is not funny and to do it intentional is a mockery of democracy. The constitution of Nigeria at article two provides the role of National Assembly and that role is very specific it was purely legislative. On too many occasions, there have been a tendency for National Assembly officers to make statements that blur the line between their functions and responsible with that of the executive arm of the government.
Currently, as Nigerians are coming to reality check that there are failed states made so by rogue governors who arguable had no idea of how a government ought to and should be run, these National Assembly members deem fit to again remind Nigerians that 109 Nigerians should have wardrobe allowance to the tune of about half a million per year.
These lawmakers also get vehicle allowance for about six million naira, furniture allowance of about four million, and other money for entertainment.
Are Nigerians really that stupid to accept the notion that the law makers who are public service workers are entitled to such perks? I challenge any Senator to publish how many people they employ at their state offices and publish what projects they have executed from the nearly two Million naira that they receive from the treasury.
When the discussion of the nonpayment of salary is been discussed, a special mention is Ben Murray, a Bayelsa senator, for statement that he will donate wardrobe allowances to Osun workers.
But we need to ask the question if such action were necessary and the emphatic response is No. The National Assembly has to pass a resolution that all the perks must henceforth be stopped And Nigerians have been insulted for too long and their shameless actions in accepting these monies whilst majority of Nigerians are in abject poverty can no longer be tolerated.
A young and learning democracy such as ours must be built on solid precedent and deliberate for precedent and posterity of this great country. We urge the APC to wield the big stick against Saraki and save the party from self destruction from characters such as his.
The only ambition that drives Saraki into these is his interest to contest the 2019 presidential elections.
The mission Saraki is embarking on is to cement his place in the Assembly and have a firm grip of senators. What matters to him is how he can be made President, not minding the outcome or its effect on his supposed party.
Expelling Bukola Saraki from the party will strip him off his self mission. The consequences of this action should be ignored as it will only save the party and do it good.
The party already has the president to its side, so most persons will always want to go where the president is, as witnessed in the defections to the party across the country.
The All Progressives Congress should get this right for Nigerians and for our children. Personal ambition must not tramp our collective effort to forge a lasting democracy as displayed by Saraki.
A REPUTATION FOUNDED ON INTEGRITY MUST BE NURTURED BY TRUTH
Eneh John is the Managing Editor of Secrets Reporters News.
Meet me on twitter @enehjohn1
E-mail: [email protected]
