The Lawlessness of Nigerian 'Lawmakers"

Our hope for a better Nigeria with a brighter and more prosperous future began on the return to a real democracy on May 6, 2010 with the inauguration of this presidency; after many decades of dictatorships including the last 8 years of Obasanjo's enthroned 'presidency'.

Defecting Senators

 It has not been an easy political journey considering the rot bequeathed. Our young democracy will continue to grow, and the attainment of political  maturity will take many more years.  Even older world democracies are still growing from strength to strength.

The foundation being laid by this administration for the future of our democracy and the future of our generations, with the current transformation agenda and the citizen-focused projects are just what Nigeria need.  While the system is not perfect, it is the best system we have ever had in our history.  We expect distractions from now and then. We shall overcome all of them.  The ongoing asinine behaviors of disruption by the few legislators are selfish and unacceptable. These few politicians have placed their personal interests before public welfare. By their behaviors they've turned themselves into objects of ridicule and unfit for the exalted positions they occupy.  From the national insecurity and all its violence, the high unemployment and its attendant social disruptions such as kidnappings and armed robberies, corruption and poor infrastructures etc. these political misfits have no time to develop appropriate legislation to address these pressing problems.  They are only interested in how to remain relevant within the polity.  

Our success as a nation is contingent upon the quality of our leaderships. We need leaderships that are learned, passionate, nationalistic and visionary. Sadly, we have been bedeviled for many decades with mediocre leadership of dictatorships that subjugated us economically, socially and morally. The vestige of the socioeconomic and moral decay is what we are witnessing in our current political system.

The Moral Decay of the Lawmakers:
 The moral decay in the Nigeria leadership is now being played out in several segments of Nigerian polity. After many years of dictatorships and bad governance, Nigeria is now blessed with a truly democratic system that could lead us out of the inherited stagnation.

Nigeria House of Representative

The desperate efforts by these few lawmakers to cling to political powers by any means are being played out with series of political defections, seeking where to festoon their dwindling and miserable
political capital. They have abandoned the work of the people that sent them to Abuja.  Instead, they embark on yearlong political brinkmanship and showmanship at the expense of legislation to solve Nigerian problems. 

According to the Nigeria judicial injunction: "It is clear and unambiguous that the defendants (lawmakers) were sponsored by the PDP and won the election on its platform,"  the presiding Justice Adeniyi Ademola said.  He added that there was also no evidence of division within the PDP, which might have provided a case for them (defecting lawmakers) to keep their seats. "The defendants (lawmakers) are, therefore, not competent to vote or contribute to any proceedings in the House of Representatives." Says the ruling.

Even after the legal system has declared their behaviors wanting, these few political miscreants are hell bent on leading Nigeria into a constitutional crisis, unless they have their ways.  These morbid behaviors are no better than other social maladies that is destroying our Nation.  These behaviors are  no different from the Boko Haram's dogma to destroy Nigeria.

Even though these renegade lawmakers have no political authorities to even conduct congressional businesses, they are threatening to impeach the president unless they have their ways. The absurdity of the mindsets of these losers are difficult to understand. Their legal advisers have failed them.

These political renegades are surely the 'Boko Haram' in political clothing.

Recommendations:

• The Speaker of the House of Representative and the Senate President must do their jobs.  These few lawmakers have no business to remain in the national assembly.  Their seats should be declared vacant immediately.
• Special Elections: The Nigeria Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should conduct 'special elections' to fill the vacancies for effective representation and congressional businesses.
• The renegade lawmakers can re-contest in the special elections, unless they are disqualified by law.

This lawlessness by these lawmakers will not be forgotten in a hurry. We will remember their selfishness and their incompetence.  Nigerians will never forget their desperation to bring down our young democracy.  The electorate would never make the mistakes of sending these kinds of classless miscreants as representatives to the Nigerian National Assembly in the future.

As part of the political evolutionary trends, these self-centered politicians will soon become history.  We need men and women of proven honors and integrity as our representatives and lawmakers.  This lawlessness is a cogwheel in our young democracy. Their flawed characters are not what we need.  There are no rooms in our democracy for these craps.

We will never forget their disloyalty.