Events after the swearing-in of Members of the National Assembly and their leaders, Speaker for the House of Representatives and President for the Senate in June 2007 culminating in the Idoko Committee Report in the House of Representatives have demonstrated the disconnect between the law making institution of the House of Representatives and the basic and fundamental interest of the Nigerian people, the House ought to represent, advance and protect.

Instead of Madam Speaker and her colleagues to address the socio-economic problems of the people of this country, the Idoko Report has shown that within one (1) month (June – July) of taking their Oath of Office, selfish matters, totally unrelated to the burning issues of the Nation pre-occupied the House of Representatives in general and its Speaker in particular.

When for the first time the United States of America had a woman Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, her first duty in the first one month of taking office was to address national and international issues including:

• The Iraq problem; and

• The Medicare for the poor and other masses oriented programmes of the American people.

What a far cry from the attitude of our own first woman Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Etteh.

The Idoko Report has confirmed the mess, the corruption and the abuse of office perpetrated by some members of the House of Representatives including the Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Etteh. What has happened flagrantly negates Section 15(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 which provides that "the shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power." In addition, what Madam Speaker and few of her colleagues have done also violates the integrity aspect of the National Ethics in Section 23 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

Read together, Section 15(5) and Section 23moral and legal obligations on the Speaker. The Idoko Report has shown that Madam Speaker had failed to discharge both obligations. Consequently, at least, the Speaker has no moral authority to continue in office as she has lost her integrity to lead the House of Representatives.

It must be pointed out that she cannot sit as a Speaker for the consideration of Idoko Report. To do so, she will be compounding her moral degeneracy in this matter.

I remember in the year 2000 when the President of the Senate, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo was mentioned in a contract probe headed by Senator Idris Kuta, Dr. Okadigbo did what was honourable and morally justifiable by stepping aside and vacating his seat as the President of the Senate to enable the entire report to be considered. After the consideration of the Report, he never came back to his seat as President of the Senate in view of his involvement in the contract probe.

There is another precedent. In 2005, when Senator Adolphus Wabara, the President of the Senate was charged with corruption crime, he came to the Senate and vacated his seat as President of Senate by resignation because he could no longer morally command the dignity, respectability and integrity of the Office as President of the Senate whilst the case was pending in court. That was a path of honour.

Patricia Etteh should go back to history of these two instances and do what is right for herself, for the House of Representatives and for the Nation:

• By Stepping aside during the consideration of the Idoko Committee Report; and

• By resigning after the consideration.

That is the path of honour.

However, if she chooses the path of stubborn perfidy which characterises the behaviour of our corrupt politicians, the House of Representatives should remove her in the interest of:

• Constitutional order and morality; and

• Dignity and respectability of the Office.

Party loyalty has no place in this respect because the Nation and the Constitution are bigger, more commanding and more important than party allegiance in the face of corruption and immorality.




CHIEF GANI FAWEHINMI LLD, SAN
Monday, October 15, 2007