Posted by By FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWNE, Abuja on
The last eight years of democratic rule in the country came under the assessment of eminent persons, with a verdict that a constitutional democracy is still a mirage and that the future of a genuine democracy in Nigeria is bleak under the present political arrangement.
The last eight years of democratic rule in the country came under the assessment of eminent persons, with a verdict that a constitutional democracy is still a mirage and that the future of a genuine democracy in Nigeria is bleak under the present political arrangement.
Indeed, the speakers at a one-day colloquium in Abuja, among them, former Aso Rock Chaplain, Prof. Yussuf Obaje, immediate past Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, as well as former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa argued that the political leaders did not even understand the meaning of constitution let alone putting it into practise.
They posited that the system of governance has constituted an impediment to rule of law and constitutionalism .
At the talk shop, organised by the Shehu Sani Civil Rights Congress (CRC) and with theme, "Rule of Law, Constitutionalism and Future of Democracy in Nigeria," the speakers described the last eight years as the lowest moment in the country, as far as the issue of rule of law is concerned.
They recalled the penchant of government to pick and choose which order of the court to obey and which to disobey, depending on the side the government is and lamented that the political leaders had failed to live up to their oaths of office.
Alhaji Balarabe Musa maintained that the situation would not be different under the administration of Alhaji Umar Yar'Adua, given the manner of his emergence as the president and warned that the current Federal Government might likely be worse than that of Obasanjo.
He stated that Yar'Adua lacked the requisite to lead a complex nation like Nigeria, adding: "Given that he did not win any election but was rigged in, for him to cope, he may have to resort to fascism to survive."
In his speech, Ehindero said genuine democracy had been impeded right from the beginning in Nigeria, because the federalism "we claim to practice evolved from unitary system where the federal is forced to devolve power to the constituent states, unlike in a country like the United States, where the states voluntarily agreed to form a federation and willing surrendered power to the centre."
Despite the situation then, Ehindero argued that the police under him, were able to observe the rule of law, as reflected during the incessant labour actions occasioned by fuel price adjustments in which policemen were instructed not to carry arm and the Apo six saga, where the police set up a panel to investigate and indeed paid compensation to the family.
"To me, this is also part of the rule of law," he stated, while describing, as an ugly situation, the emphasis on political matters at the expense of the economy and other social issues germane to the well being of the citizenry.
Prof. Obaje said there was no democracy in Nigeria, insisting that what the nation has been attempting to practice democracy. He decried the lawlessness pervading the country and identified lack of fear of God, poverty, and wickedness as the bane of the nation's democratic development and good governance.
Human rights activist, Sani, craved for a clear departure from the past if genuine democracy was to take root in the country, saying that the present administration is making a good start with a number of steps already taken by the president.
According to him, the concern of the civil society groups was how the leaders could be held accountable for the oath of office they took.