The
attempt to oust the civilian governor of Anambra state from
power, almost in the fashion a military coup, will remain
a dark stain on the record of present crop of Nigerian political
leaders as long as the scheme to cover up this unfortunate
incident is kept in play. No one has stepped up to deny
that some citizens took the law of the land into their hands
by plotting to truncate the constitutionally installed government
of one of the 36 states in Nigeria on July 10, 2003. In
fact, many well-placed knowledgeable Nigerians have already
made numerous pronouncements concerning the matter, mostly
in its condemnation. The Nigerian Senate set up an ad hoc
committee to look into the matter and recommend a possible
line of action for the nation’s upper legislative
body. The ad hoc committee has since finished its assignment
and concluded that a judicial commission of enquiry should
be raised by the Nigerian Senate to get to the bottom of
what really happened in Government House, Awka on July 10,
2003. The senate committee’s recommendations are in
consonance with the stance of Southeast governors who collectively
opined earlier that a thorough probe should be carried out
to unearth the mysteries that lurk behind this brazen affront
to the nation’s constitution by PDP stalwarts in Anambra
state.
What many Nigerians are now asking is this. What is holding
the Senate back from adopting the recommendations of a fact-finding
committee that it set up to look into an attempt to disrupt
democratic governance by unconstitutional means? Some are
beginning to speculate that entrenched powers at the helm
of national government are intent on smothering the truth
about what really happened because full exposure could reveal
complicity or connivance of the presidency. President Obasanjo
and his spokespersons have made it clear that the crisis
that nearly wrecked the Government of Anambra State should
preferably be discussed and resolved within the ranks of
the ruling party, the PDP. Would the President ask the PDP
to handle the situation if a well orchestrated attempt is
made to oust him from Aso Rock by his political mentors
or sponsors? Whose supreme interest has been violated by
Ngige-Uba imbroglio; was it the ruling party, the PDP or
millions of residents of Anambra state? The Nigerian constitution
makes it clear that the ultimate arbiter of state power
is the average citizen and that the electorate should decide
political leadership through the ballot box, not through
behind-the-scene deals of partisan king makers.
Nigerian democracy is under serious threat if licentious
conducts are regarded by government of the day as normal
way of doing people’s business. It is obvious that
President Obasanjo would prefer the political crises in
Anambra to be sorted out in camera for reasons that are
presently unclear. Mr. President should be made to understand
that the overwhelming majority of Anambra residents, in
particular and Nigerians, in general, abhor that approach.
The Senate was right in setting up a committee to hold preliminary
hearing on the matter. The Senate leadership should now
live up to their oath of office to defend the Nigerian constitution,
if needs be, with their lives. The Senate President and
Speaker of House of Representatives must now mobilize the
National Assembly to rise up to perform its constitutional
duty since it is obvious that the other two arms of government,
the presidency and judiciary, are unwilling to do the right
thing for the nation. The National Assembly is the last
bastion of hope for the average Nigerian at this juncture
and it cannot afford to be seen to fall short of expectation
of the very electorate who elected them only a few moths
ago.
Failure to get to the truth of what actually happened on
July 10, 2003 will inflict a severe wound in the national
psyche which will far outweigh the presumed benefit of maintaining
harmony within the ranks of the ruling party whose primary
interest appears to be to retain its grip on power nationwide.
The PDP shall be digging its own grave by visibly impeding
the legitimate right of the average citizen to utilize the
self-regulating mechanisms that are part and parcel of our
constitutional democracy. President Obasanjo may indeed
be innocent of the potentially criminal acts of those who
front his name to facilitate the execution of their selfish
diabolical acts. It is also possible that the President
has the best interest of the nation at heart by opting to
spare us the potential national turmoil that an open judicial
enquiry can bring about. He should, however, realize that
a cover up of a blatant misconduct, or an impression of
it, does even greater harm to Nigeria and the nascent democratic
dispensation which we are all trying to entrench. In absence
of verifiable truth, rumor mills and speculations shall
have a field day. The fiasco of July 10th shall not simply
go away because some powerful politicians would prefer that
to happen. Let the Nigerian Senate set up its judicial enquiry
now without further delay. The overwhelming majority of
Nigerians demand full exposure on what happened in Awka
on July 10, 2003. Whoever repudiates this rightful demand
by the electorate may have to pay for their misguided choices
down the road.
