Way back in
my university days, I used to be a “special adviser on political matters” for
my fellow students who would want to vie for any political post in the students union government.
There was a
time a “Tambuwally-inclined” student came to me for political counselling.
He was in
the Student Representative Council, SRC and was contesting for Student’s
Walfare Officer.
By
constitution, he would have to resign from the SRC before he is qualified to
contest for executive post.
Like
Tambuwal, he wanted to eat his cake and have it, he wanted to retain his office
at the SRC, just in case he lost in the election, and he wants to fall back to
his “first love”.
The process
is that he would have to tender a resignation letter to the council who would
accent and forward to the executive council as a prerequisite to be legible to
contest. Continue..
What I “advised”
him to do was simple; write a letter but don’t sign on it, give the letter to
the clerk of the house, let them tender the letter to electoral committee
secretary which he would have to negotiate with to hold it back.
The
secretary would not submit the letter until after the candidate wins the
election. Should he lose, the electoral committee secretary would retrieve the
letter on the ground that it was not recognised based on the fact that the
subject did not sign on it.
Just like
most Nigerians, the council was too happy to receive the letter without
noticing that it was not a signed document. They hastily submit the letter and
the expected happened at the election, my friend lost and he successfully fell
back to his plan B.
The university
setting, as a micro-society is a clear cut picture of what is obtainable in the
real world politics. Leaders are greedy, they not only want to eat their cake
and have it, they want to eat it and see it multiply too.
This has
been our historical pastime in Nigeria as documents hold that some of our
fore-front leaders had at one time left their position to contest for a higher
realm of political office after which they lose and would fall back to where
they used to belong, a practical example is the Awolowo/ Akintola conflict in
1963.
Honorable Tambuwal’s
case is a bit different though, he just wanted to remain in the house till
after the election. But what happens if he loses?
Is there any need to go to court to remain in
office if you really have your constituency at heart? Was he not the one who
passed the law to remove any cross carpetters in the house?
A more
reason why Senator David Mark refuses to accept the defection of Saraki and his
allies, he refused to read their letters to save their respective heads. Even a
primary school pupil knew that the people voted for the party and not the person.
It took Honourable Tambuwal many months to consult, and this was the monumental
error he resolved to?
Perhaps the
constitution was not concise enough in Section 182(1) (g) and Section 318(1) of
the 1999 “industrial waste” which should be relevant for that public
servant/officer who needed to resign his appointment before he could declare
his interest, campaign or contest in an election into political office.
The media
had thought he out-smarted his former party, PDP executives by sending house
members home till December. Funny enough, he did not only shoot himself in the foot,
he has place a bomb in his boxer.
I just
wonder at times if the so called political mathematicians don’t do their
analysis at all while making some obviously erroneous decisions. Who would have
thought General Buhari will ever utter that the “borrowed” to purchase his form
(?), what was he thinking?
Why would
Rotimi Amaechi in his right mind openly throw shades at Nollywood artists? Well,
I never noticed when he is ever in his right mind anyway. I leave his case for another
day.
The All
progressive Party has routinely, consistently make fatal mistakes since the
loss of Ekiti state that I am beginning to wonder if it can really handle
defeat.
Tambuwal’s resignation
at this material time will only add a feather to his political hat and will
serve a point for the people of Sokoto that he has sacrificed is office to
serve them, rather than giving out a plate of soup and refusing to let go.
Let him
resign like the ministers did. Yes, they are not politically elected but it is only ideal and reasonable to do so.
0 Comments