Omo-Agege: Pedigree of exemplary virtues

Uthman Dan Fodio had asserted that “power should be given to those who seek not”. The application of this assertion has resulted into ambivalence, as those whose shoulders responsibilities of leadership falls without seeking leadership, mostly perform excellently above those that struggled for leadership positions. In Lagos state, both former Governors Ambode and Fashola never struggled to become governors of Lagos state, they emerged through recommendations and recognitions, both are measure of good governance in Nigeria today, to a reasonable extent. When Dan Fodio made that assertion, he had in mind that the power brokers would not exhibit mediocrity in their choices. He believed the real essence of governance must be pristine. In his mind, demagogues shouldn’t have access to power.

It was not recorded anywhere that Senator Ovie Omo-Agege struggled for his ascendancy to the position of the Deputy Senate President, it fell on his shoulder like a honour well deserved, in the midst of several other contenders, he defeated a three-term discombobulated Deputy President of the Senate – Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

At the moment of contest, observers were divided along the lanes of winner takes all or give and take, as APC already produced Senator Ahmed Lawan as the President of the Senate. Those who had the thought of winner takes all, aligned with the stance of the APC National Chairman – Adams Oshiomole, that APC must produce all the principal officers of the National Assembly, while those with thought of give and take, relied on romance between APC and PDP legislators, in the build up to the inauguration of the 9th Assembly, at the end, the winner takes all.

Immediately after the contest, something went amiss, the defeated former Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu threw wrong messages into the winds, he insulted the sensibilities of all the senators that voted Omo-Agege in his stead, he claimed he didn’t contest to win but stood in the contest to express his opposition to the choice of a mace snatcher, what a lie from the pit of hell. His real intentions are to disparage the image of Omo-Agege and cover personal shame that arose from his greed to become a deputy senate president for the fourth term in a Senate with hyper intelligent senators.

What’s the offence of Senator Omo-Agege other than his resistance against violation of the Nigerian Constitution by the duo of former Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy Ekweremadu? History recorded their leadership as intolerant to opposing views of senators and agitations against their abuse of power.

Indeed, only men of honour can maintain honour. Assuming the PDP wanted to pull a stunt replica to the 2015 “arrangee mathematics” that birthed the 8th National Assembly leadership or negotiate sharing of power with the ruling party, how could it be Ekweremadu again for the fourth term, does that imply that all other PDP returning Senators from Southeast and Southsouth are not worth the call? What a macabre dance!!

Without coating the action of Omo-Agege on the controversial invasion of the National Assembly in a “commando style” where the mace of the senate was hijacked by invaders, the action has fair share of blame, as first of its kind in Nigeria. The hallowed chamber has some salient protection mechanism, such as lack of power by security agencies to arrest any legislator. Then an elected representative of his people was suspended by the senate president in brazen display of abuse of power and affront against the constitution and Rules of the Senate, others could not resist this oddity, even those sympathetic to the suspended senators couldn’t stage a walk out or collectively protest against the senate president, it was a case of everyone for himself (a case of “OYO,” on your own). Then the application of subtle force by Omo-Agege yielded a positive result, just shortly after staging the show, his rights were restored and was returned to the same senate by his constituency.

In the eyes of the law, the senate president lacks the power to suspend any senator on suspension, it’s an abuse of power and not many Nigerians knew that, until the Omo-Agege scenario. Omo-Agege has wealth of experience in both Nigerian and American laws, he was a distinct legal luminary locally and internationally. He is an example of an ideal legislator as a man with pedigree and required knowledge of legislation, that’s why he broke the odds and rose above his peers.

Reducing Omo-Agege to a mace snatcher or law breaker in his protests against his oppressors is a propaganda taken too far. For the avoidance of doubt, decorum returned to the National Assembly through his rare action on our land. This is democracy and before we can arrive at a high level of finesse, such rare occurrences could be strange. Lloyd Russell-Moyle, a Labour Party MP in United Kingdom, on December 12, grabbed the mace in protest against the UK Government handling of BREXIT and no offence was registered. 

At times, one wonders why public scrutiny of political office holders commences with their victories. Had Senator Omo-Agege failed in his re-election bid, the propaganda would have held water, had he lost the DSP bid, he would have been ignored, but alas, his pedigree and political antecedents are positive in the judgement of the senators and political power brokers, he must be a man or some other virtues, may be an unsung hero of a kind.

Omo-Agege grew up in the household of his biological father, Late Justice James Omo-Agege, Delta state chief judge between 1993 and 1998, whose positive impact on Nigeria justice system cannot be wished away. Omo-Agege was a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria when he was 23 years old (a rare feat in legal profession far back 1986) and practiced law actively from 1986 to 2002 in both Nigeria and United States of America. An alumnus of University of Benin, Nigeria Law School and Tulane University Law School, New Orleans, USA.

Ekweremadu, a lawyer, provided guidance to Saraki and their close affinity is public knowledge. Do we then conclude that every illegal conduct under his leadership ws misguidance from his deputy? It will amount to a waste of honour, if the deputy senate president Ovie Omo-Agege fails in his duty to provide the required legal guidance to Senate President Ahmed Lawan. Though, mastery of laws is not a guarantee for positive conducts, but a man of sound legal inclinations is expected to be above board, especially in the duty of law making, policy assessments and other legislations.

Agboola is the publisher of The Exponent magazine and can be reached through: [email protected] or 08032813279.

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