The Congress, as in the case of the United States; the State Duma; as in the case of Russia, and the Knesset, as in Israel, all exist as the bastion of democracy. The primary role of the legislature is to make laws for betterment of the society. The legislature has been identified as the strongest predictor on the survival of every democratic development. It serves as essential constituent for any democratic government and a major factor in its sustenance.
Against this backdrop, countries can afford to gamble with the choice of leadership of any other arm of government, but certainly not the assemblage of scholars and opinion leaders like the legislature. What happens at the legislature of every country is the gathering of the citizens of the whole country, howbeit, by proxy to argue, debate and agree on issues of national importance.
Most legislatures around the world, including Nigeria, are predicated on intricate web of checks and balances. The work of the legislature is highly technical and delicate that it requires competent hands to oversee its management.
This explains why the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) deemed it fit to settle for Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio as the best man to pilot the affairs of the 10th Senate, and by extension, the 10th National Assembly.
As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu settles in office, it is important to reiterate the fact that the executive needs a National Assembly leadership that is competent to work with minimal supervision, rancour and acrimony. Mr President needs a man with enviable and verifiable track records to work with. It is against this backdrop that that of all the aspirants that have indicated interest, Senator Akpabio is better qualified. He is a consistent character, laced with emotionally balanced mien.
Besides, Akpabio and President share similar antecedents for their penchant for human capacity development, cutting across all parts of the country. There is a congruence of opinion among pundits that Akpabio would be a huge asset to Tinubu’s proposed Unity Government. The duo will make a big difference in the history of Nigeria because birds of the same feather flock together.
Their record of performance is unprecedented and uncommon in this part of the world. Akpabio is a household name in Nigeria’s politics, his antecedents in good governance and people-oriented policies as a former governor of Akwa Ibom speaks volume of hard work, selflessness and uncommon developments. Certainly, the incoming 10th National Assembly needs a democrat who is always poised to raise the bar of good governance by bringing in his wealth of experience and expertise to bear. He has always played pivotal roles in advocating the interests of Nigerians, cutting across all regions, and worked tirelessly to promote peace, security and unity among Nigerians.
A time-tested saying goes that “one good turn deserves another.” As a true and loyal party man, it was Akpabio during the party primaries, and without any prompting, that stepped down for Tinubu to carry the party’s flag to become the president today.
A good leader is known by the track records of his antecedents. Apart from Akpabio’s bumper resume, character, candour and leadership capacity, there’s every need to uphold party supremacy. The APC has not minced words on its preference for Akpabio. It has, in fact, zoned the position of the president of the 10th Senate to the South-South.
Political parties are the strongest agents in a democratic process. For instance, it is the political parties that contest election, not individuals. In South Africa for instance, political parties’ decisions are supreme. The South African ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), has the power to ask a seating president to resign from office, as was the case with Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Both did not finish their terms of office before the ANC asked them to relinquish power over misconduct and breach of party codes. Party supremacy is the nurture of any democracy. The APC stakeholders should listen to the voice of reason. The party’s decision should be respected.
If the benchmark in politics is performance, Akpabio stands shoulder high. He is a sellable brand any day. He is an uncommon transformer. He doesn’t seek office for ambition sake. As commissioner, governor, Senator and minister of the Federal Republic, Akpabio has left no one in doubt that he is more than capable and courageous to deliver and handle the responsibilities of a higher office such as the president of the Senate.
For democracy to strive, it must be anchored on equity, justice and fairness, hence, the odds favour the South South this time because the geo-political zone has not produced a Senate president since 1999 till date and it would only be fair and just to have one of their sons as leader. And the man the cap fits is Akpabio because there’s no politician of South South extraction that has built bridges across ethnic groups in the country like the former minister. His passion for the Nigerian project is undiluted; he doesn’t discriminate against any group, region or religion. That’s the National Assembly leader Nigeria needs now to foster the frontier of national unity.
The South East, on the other hand, has produced five senate presidents since 1999 just as the North Central and North East had each produced Senate Presidents. The South East has also produced deputy Senate president for eighty years.
Conversely, it is good to learn from your mistakes but it is best to learn from the mistakes of others, so said ancient wisdom. When it was time to select the president of the 8th Senate where former President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC were supposed to have played a leading role in who emerges senate president, they were laid back. Senator Abubakar Olusola Saraki, as the leader of the opposition People’s Democratic Party Senators, ambushed the APC, and wangled his way to become the Senate president, simply because Buhari and the APC refused to take a firm position.
Buhari’s first term almost became a stalemate because of this miscalculation. Should the APC make the same mistakes twice? Should Tinubu fold his arms and allow a repeat of Buhari’s mistake happen to his own government? Your answer is good as mine.
From the equity standpoint, of the 15 Senate presidents we have had in the country since the First Republic in the 1960s, only one came from the South-South zone of the country, in person of Senator Joseph Wayas of blessed memory. Akwa Ibom senator, Akpabio, should this time be considered in view of his state’s humongous contributions to the economic well-being of the nation.
It is said that the voice of the people is the voice of God. Hence, aspirants for the position of Senate president should stepdown for Akpabio in the interest of fairness, equity and justice. Besides, the lingering squabbles and lack of consensus may jeopardise the chances of the party to clinch that position. Everybody cannot become president of the senate at the same time. The odds now favour the South South and the man to take that shot is the ‘uncommon’ Senator because his style fits the aspirations of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and will positively transform Nigeria.
Nigerians from all strata, through various groups – women, men, old and young – have spoken loud and clear that their choice for the Senate president is Akpabio. The will of God and the voice of the people is the end of politics. What should be our focal point as a people is an enabling environment for sound and people-oriented legislation and not unnecessary agitations and resurrection of dead corruption case files that are borne out of selfish interest targeted at misleading the present administration, Nigeria is for all despite political differences and affiliations. Let Akpabio have it in the interest of Nigeria.
Ibrahim is director, Communication and Strategic Planning, Presidential Support Committee (PSC).
