Political scientist, lawyer urge Presidency, Senate not to delay government’s operations

A Political Scientist, Prof. Femi Otubanjo and a Lawyer, Mr Onyekachi Ubani, on Wednesday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to cooperate with the Senate to avoid delay in the operations of government.

They made the call in interviews with journalists in Lagos.

“The partnership between these arms of government is essential for smooth running of government and for the people to enjoy the dividends of democracy,’’ they said.

They reacted to the senate’s non-consideration of a letter from the Presidency requesting legislature’s approval for the nomination of 27 Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, however, had urged the lawmakers to suspend the consideration of the request by two weeks, noting that the time was enough to send a signal to the Executive arm.

The senators also insisted that the process be abandoned until Magu is removed as the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The upper chamber of the National Assembly had on March 15, rejected for the second time, Magu’s nomination based on a report on him by the DSS.

Otubanjo, a Professor of Political Science at the National Open University of Nigeria, blamed the executive arm for the crisis, saying they refused to engage the senate via lobbying.

According to Otubanjo, the executive arm must see the legislature as partners in progress and not a people to be ignored or quarelled with.

“We saw what happened with Trump when he was trying to repeal Obamacare. He addressed the parliament and even invited some of the leaders to a breakfast table.

“Since this administration, we have never seen the president go to the Senate to address them or even engage them in anyway.

“The reality is that the presidency and the executive must learn to lobby and not take things for granted or standing up to the Senate.

“The Senate must be managed carefully and respected. It is not automatic that Senate must confirm any nomination.

“Therefore, this Magu matter must be terminated since the senate has rejected him twice. If the presidency wants to nominate him a third time, they (Presidency) should lobby the senate,’’ he said.

Otubanjo also urged the Senate to be more dignified in its reactions and statements to avoid causing tension in the polity.

Also, Ubani urged the presidency and the executive to play politics, lobby and to cooperate with each other to avoid delay in the operations of government and move the country forward.

“The same executive who nominated Magu sent a letter to the senate through the DSS, saying Magu has integrity issues.

“The presidency or the executive did not lobby the Senate in any way for Magu’s confirmation.

“All these were mistakes on the part of the executive, and the Senators are angry because Magu is being left on acting capacity without their confirmation.

“It is obvious that the Senate will never confirm Magu because the man is after some of the Senators who are involved in corrupt issues.

“The Presidency needs to understand the dynamics of politics and not quarrel with the Senate at the detriment of the campaign promises made to Nigerians who voted for the president.

“The practical thing to do now is to drop Magu, get another person with competence, character and efficiency to fight corruption and send his name quickly for confirmation.

“No acting like in the case of Magu because putting him on acting capacity for too long before sending his name for confirmation was a mistake.

“The presidency needs to cooperate so that the Senate will not continue to withhold approval for other nominations or bills such as the 2017 budget,’’ he said.