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The senate of any country, Nigeria inclusive, is the gathering of the country’s best. Intellectually, academically, experience wise and indeed, in all ramifications, it represents the very best a country can parade.
Thus when the country vests such great powers as making laws, clearing nominees for high profile offices and acting as a check on the executive, the expectations become gargantuan.
High sense of responsibility, appropriate representation of the constituent’s view, informed commentary and above all, protection of the national psyche are legitimate expectations from a senator.
Nigerians rest assured in their homes that they have sent men and women of no mean stature to represent them at the national front while they go about their other duties. But are the expectations and belief of the people really true?
Are they truly being represented by the quality they thought they voted for?
For one, the senate in passing resolutions serve the executive with advice, their thinking on any issue. The constitution recognize these resolutions for what they are, mere advice that can be taken or discarded without fuss. But our senators now treat their resolutions as law. It’s either the executive take it or there will be a showdown.
They are free to pass comments on any aspect of the polity, but once you pass comment on the goings-on in the red chambers, you are an enemy treating them with disrespect. You must be summoned to explain. Woe betide you if you hold any position of authority. You must resign, you must apologise, you must be cowed into submission. Worse if you are their colleague calling for caution.
You will be suspended and ‘dinoed ‘ into ridicule. Pray you do not have any confirmation or approval to seek from them, that will be suspended until you come on bended knees.
The Magu issue and the comments of the acting President are currently on issue. What does the law say? Did the acting President, a courtroom-tested Senior Advocate of Nigeria err in stating the position of the law on confirmations of executive positions and the senate?
If he did, need his error not be pointed out to him? Is threatening him with impeachment the answer to an informed comment he passed on a national discourse? Is superior argument not the response to an inferior argument?
The senators are our representatives, maybe it is time to ask us what we want them to do in this circumstance. Maybe it is time they ask us if the way they have been carrying on is the way we want them to go. Maybe, just maybe, Dino Melaye will hear from his constituents just what they want from him.
That way, our revered senate will not insult our collective psyche by telling us that no senator can be recalled by anybody, no matter how had they try. We would not need to be told that they make laws to hem themselves in while we watch in angst.
That way, they might even learn to allow due process to take its course rather than subject every frivolity to the senatorial commentary of the absurd. We might get the chance to tell them to stop making laws whose process will be dubbed ‘ dead on arrival’ once started.