- ‘Executive, legislative arms no longer meet regularly’
- President doesn’t fully understand legislators’ role, say Bucknor – Akerele
Fresh revelations have emerged on the real reason behind frequent conflicts between the President Muhammadu Buhari-led executive arm and the National Assembly.
Informed sources revealed at the weekend that Buhari’s failure to regularly meet with the lawmakers and his replacing such regular consultation with deafening political grandstanding on crucial national issues, are the main reasons behind the continuous face-off between the two arms of government.
The President, last week, signed the 2018 budget, with indicting accusations that the National Assembly not only delayed its passage, but also padded it. Specifically, he said the lawmakers smuggled in 4,403 projects of their own, amounting to N578 billion, which his administration had not included in its fiscal plan for the year.
But Investigations by The Point revealed that under previous administrations, leaders of both the executive and the legislature used to meet at least once a week to brainstorm and share ideas on critical issues of governance, a development that is non-existent in the present government.
Under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, for instance, both the Senate and the House of Representatives leadership met with the President and his team once every week; the same was applicable under President Goodluck Jonathan.
Former Senate Majority Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, confirmed to The Point in an interview that the frosty relationship between the two arms of government would be removed if such interface were instituted and sustained.
There must be regular interface between the leadership of the National Assembly and the Executive. In times past, in fact, when late President Umaru Yar’Adua came newly, he was meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly on a weekly basis
Also, a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, told The Point that the inhospitable relationship between the NASS and the Presidency is caused mainly by President Buhari, whom she said does not fully understand the expected roles of the legislators.
She explained that the three arms of government are saddled with different roles and that the President only needs to fully understand his role as the head in the executive arm and that of the other two arms of government, to ensure mutual respect.
On Wednesday last week, Buhari had, while signing the 2018 Appropriation Act, openly condemned the attitude of the National Assembly members whom he accused of tampering with the budget proposal he had earlier submitted.
Buhari said, “I am, however, concerned about some of the changes that the National Assembly has made to the budget proposals I presented. The logic behind the constitutional direction that budgets should be proposed by the Executive is that, it is the Executive that knows and defines its policies and projects. Unfortunately, that has not been given much regard in what has been sent to me.”
The Point recalls that shortly before the National Assembly went on break two weeks ago, it had convened an emergency joint session, where it warned that, if the President failed to carry out certain decisions it put forward, it would invoke its constitutional powers.
That statement, interpreted by many to imply an impeachment threat against the President, marked the height of the face-off between the President and the National Assembly with majority of membership from the ruling All Progressives Congress.
‘NO CAUCUS MEETING IN N’ASSEMBLY ANY LONGER’
Ndoma-Egba explained in detail, how such face-off could be avoided. “One thing that is certain is that the senators of both major parties need to have their caucuses; and their caucuses must meet regularly. If you don’t have functional caucuses in the legislature, you would have the kind of problem that is there now.
“I am not saying they don’t meet, but all parties that have members in the Senate or House of Reps must have caucuses that meet regularly to discuss issues.
“Two, there must be regular interface between the leadership of the National Assembly and the Executive. In times past, in fact, when late President Umaru Yar’Adua came newly, he was meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly on a weekly basis.
“Then at some point, he even offered to engage with us in the Senate President’s house. He said we should be rotating the meeting.
“In the last PDP administration, it was the same thing, there was regular interface. So people make the error of saying the majority of the legislators are from the same party as with the executive, so there would be no misunderstanding.
“Those who designed the presidential system of government designed it with inherent conflict between the executive and the legislature; because without that inherent conflict, you cannot play the role of checks and balances on the executive.
“So it is totally immaterial that majority of the legislators are in the same party with the executive. To resolve that inherent conflict, you must be in constant dialogue.” (See full interview on page 20).
However, Bucknor-Akerele still believes Buhari has not fully grasped the basic understanding of the role of the legislature in a democracy and what to expect from the legislators.
He said, “The National Assembly, apart from the duty of making laws, also has oversight functions over the executive. The National Assembly is to carry out checks and balances on the activities of the executive.
“But the relationship between them must be cordial for the progress of the country. The three arms-the executive, legislature and the judiciary, must work together for the good of the country.”
BUHARI HAILED ON AUTONOMY LAWS
Nevertheless, some Nigerians have commended both arms of government for enacting a law authorising financial autonomy for states’ assemblies and states’ judiciary, describing it as a bold step towards the restructuring of Nigeria.
Buhari had on June 8, signed into law, the Fourth Alteration to the 1999 Constitution, giving total financial autonomy to State Houses of Assembly and the Judiciary in the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
With this, the State Houses of Assembly and the State Judiciary would now operate as their federal counterparts.
Even the church has not been left out in appreciating the role of the National Assembly and the Presidency in the enactment of the law. The Anglican Diocese of Udi in Enugu State, however, urged the Federal Government to replicate same feat for local government councils in the country.
Also, Human Rights Lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, informed The Point that, “with the signing of the law, democracy will be richer and deepened; and the judiciary made truly autonomous, independent and removed from the apron strings of an overbearing executive that barely tolerate it.”
Former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, Ikeja-Lagos branch, Monday Ubani, said the signing of the new law is a happy development. “It is something we have been clamouring for, for a long time,” he said.
