Within the last one week, controversies culminating into withdrawal or resignation of appointments of some political aides of the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, have been part of the news stories from the office. TAIYE ODEWALEexamines the intrigues behind the withdrawal and resignation of appointments.
Appointment controversies
While the three other recently emerged presiding officers of the National Assembly i.e, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo- Agege, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Gbajabiamila and Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon Idris Wase, have no issues on aides appointed so far, controversies seem to be trailing those of the Chairman of the National Assembly and Chief Presiding Officer of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan.
First to be enmeshed in such controversies few hours after his appointment as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President of the Senate last week Tuesday, was Mr Festus Adedayo, an age long celebrated columnist of one of the national dailies.
Critics of Adedayo saw him as somebody wanting to reap where he did not sow or harvest from a farm he allegedly derives pleasure in setting on fire being a critic of President Muhammadu Buhari and by extension, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Politicians can keep their job
Perceived acerbic attacks cum criticisms from Adedayo against President Buhari in recent time and even Senator Ahmad Lawan himself were chronicled to remind the President of the Senate, the person, he appointed then, as his chief media minder.
Like an appointment destined not to see the light of the day, infuriated by the barrage of criticisms against it by some APC supporters and social commentators, the then appointee (Adedayo), reacted on Wednesday by telling the politicians to take back their job if they want.
He said: “I have never been a politician. But if the politicians feel that it is their birthright, they can have the appointment; it is not a do or die thing for me, at all. If I go there, I’m going there to serve the country”.
He added that he was in a dilemma as far as the appointment was concerned as regards accepting or rejecting it.
But before he could finally decide on whether to accept or reject the appointment, it got withdrawn from him on Thursday by the President of the Senate through a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mohammed Isa.
Appointment reviewed
The statement dated 20th June, 2019 and titled: “Office of the Senate President Reviews Adedayo’s Appointment”, reads “The office of the President of the Senate has reviewed the appointment of Mr Festus Adedayo as Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President of the Senate and decided to rescind its decision on the appointment, and wishes Mr Adedayo the best in his future endeavours”.
Adedayo the leopard
Expectedly hours after, Adedayo proved his critics right through a lengthy written reaction to the appointment withdrawal where he attacked his attackers but commended Ahmad Lawan for chosen him for the job in the first place against a fellow colleague from the Northern part of the country.
Adedayo in the piece titled: “The Festus Adedayo They Thought They Could Pull Down” posited:”I was just informed a few minutes ago of the withdrawal of the appointment offered me as the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Nigerian Senate President, Dr Ahmed Lawan. I had hitherto enjoyed every of the diatribes provoked by the appointment.
“I was told it was the most discussed issue in Nigeria in the last few days. Of course, it was not humanly possible for me to read the over 5000 tweets and thousands of comments on other social media. As at the time of writing this, the issue was said to be the most-discussed in Nigeria on the social media.
“What those who are vilifying me for always writing against government should have done was to rise from their laziness and conduct an x-ray of my writing.
“In my close to 20 years of public sphere intervention, I am a rabid anti-establishment person. I believe that in establishment lies the plague of the Nigerian state and my writings reflect this much. Even though I am everything but a saint, I believe that government should reflect the highest moral echelon of society and those who run it should make covenant of chastity and fidelity with themselves.
“More fundamentally is that my pen knows no friend or foe. Very early in my writing career, I learnt that I could go far in the people’s heart if I sided with the public against government. This was abetted by my philosophy degree background which teaches me to always look for disorder, even in order. I am a natural pessimist and see pessimism in optimism. Anyone who does a critical assessment of my journey as a columnist will see this without any equivocation.
“I doubt if any government has received greater unfavourable reviews from my pen than the Olusegun Obasanjo government. His ministers were weekly captives of my acidic pen. His Chief Press Secretary, Chief Tunji Oseni, upon once inviting me to the monthly Presidential Media Chat, told me to my face that he regretted inviting a rabid anti-Obasanjo journalist like me to the event. Chief Bola Ige, God bless his soul, was the first recipient of my column’s bile in the government. He wrote page 9 while I wrote page 3 of the Sunday Tribune, with his Uncle Bola’s Column, even as Attorney General of the Federation.
“Meeting Senate President Ahmed Lawan in Abuja rekindled my hope in Nigeria. Like me, he is tribe-blind. He is also very unassuming and cerebral. He interviewed me and another candidate as if we were in a doctoral defence class and settled for me as his choice. Nigerian politicians have a lot to learn from that gentleman and his politics of blindness to tribe and political party affiliation. He told me he wanted excellence and would pick whoever among us he saw as equating that score.
No regret over withdrawn offer
“I was told the job has been withdrawn. I thank Lawan for the offer. He will be my model of a good Nigerian forever. If those who spearheaded the attack thought it would silence me in my bid for a good country, they have another thing coming. I can never be silenced. I will always advocate for a good country, regardless of whose ox is gored.
“To those who spearheaded it, I have no space in my heart for any acrimony against them. It has further strengthened my belief that we must rid Nigeria of hate and politics of the stomach. One thing that Nigerians who read my column should be rest assured of is that I will never waver on the side of power or any politician in government for a pot of porridge.
“According to Bob Goldstein, “a principle isn’t a principle until it costs you something.” I am happy that this is what my quest for a good society, through my writing, has cost me. This is my creed”.
Another dropped out
While waiting for Adedayo’s replacement precisely on Sunday, 72 hours after his appointment withdrawal and acerbic reaction, another appointee of the president of the senate, Olu Onemola assigned to handle the new media, resigned on alleged oppositions from certain quarters against him.
Onemola in his letter of resignation addressed to the senate president though thanked Senator Ahmad Lawan for the offer to continue to serve and promote the work of the 9th Senate but said given his antecedents and the controversy it has generated, he respectfully would like to be excused from taking up the national assignment.
“It is my hope that whoever does fill this role will build upon what we had started in terms of opening up the activities of the Nigerian Senate to the public”, he said.
It would be recalled that Onemola was among the five retained by Lawan as aides from those who served Senator Bukola Saraki as president of the 8th senate.
Others as contained in statement issued to that effect last week Wednesday by the Chief of Staff to the President of the Senate, Babagana Muhammad Aji, are Dr (Mrs) Betty Okoroh as Special Assistant on Administration to the President of the Senate, Mohammed Isa as Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Tope Brown Olowoyeye as Senior Legislative Aide on Media and Publicity (Photography) and Ogechukwu Nwankwoh as Senior Legislative Aide (SLA) on Schedules and Events.
