President Tinubu’s state capture

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has made a record-breaking action.

For the first time in his administration, he unilaterally imposed a state of emergency rule on a subnational unit of the country.

He ejected the Governor of Rivers State, his deputy and the state’s lawmakers from government.

The only place that happens is in a dictatorship or a unitary system.

Nigeria is a federal system.

The sub-national units are ideally formed to be co-ordinates to the federal government.

This implies that governmental powers are not delegated on the sub-national units.

Instead, they are shared between the federal government and the subnational units.

Therefore, reasonably, you can say both are equal.

The Nigerian constitution does mandate the federal government to prevail in the event of possible conflict with the subnational units.

However, President Tinubu is not the federal government.

The federal government comprises the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.

If this is so, why did president Tinubu unilaterally impose this order?

The reason was that he was fully aware that he had the legislature in his palm.

The law makers, who are rubber stamps, were always ever eager to pander to his whims.

They are more concerned to please the president than to obey the constitution.

That’s why they did a voice vote in a blatant violation of the constitution that mandates 2/3 majority to make any decision.

In the Senate, for instance, there was no single dissenting voice.

But all men chanted ‘Ais’ in a chorus of worship to the president.

In the House of Representatives, same happened.

But one voice at a point protested, calling for a headcount instead.

Unfortunately, the speaker bullied him down.

The travesty of democracy displayed in the National Assembly had been foretold, not by prophets, but by fearless rights activists who had the premonition of what is happening today.

Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the last election foresaw the event in the National Assembly.

In Nigeria, the presidential system of government is designed to ensure a balance of power among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

However, in practice, this balance often tilts heavily in favor of the president.

This is not because the system inherently demands it.

Rather, it is due to the influence of corruption and the concentration of authority.

President Tinubu, as the head of the executive branch, wields significant control over national resources and decision-making processes.

This control often extends to the legislature and judiciary, which are meant to act as checks on executive power.

Piteously, these institutions are subservient to the president, influenced by financial incentives or political pressure.

This imbalance undermines the principles of democracy and accountability.

Instead of functioning as independent bodies, the legislature and judiciary prioritize the president’s interests over those of the people.

As a result, the president’s power becomes disproportionately large, overshadowing the roles of other branches of government.

While the presidential system is not inherently flawed, its implementation in Nigeria highlights the challenges of maintaining true separation of powers.

Moreover, why is a nation like Nigeria doomed?

Listen to the powerful answer given by the Catholic Bishop Geoffrey Onah:

“A nation is doomed when its leaders are no longer afraid of the reaction of the people”.

Very sad, indeed.

Nigerians will continue to be pawns in the political battle if they do not make the leaders fear them.

But how can Nigerians make the leaders fear them?

The question is for the readers to answer!

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