At first, it looked like a tale borrowed from the Arabian Nights. This is because it sounded like a joke, threat or one of those legislative antics to draw attention, sympathy or fly a kite. Alas, it wasn’t. The action was premeditated, carefully planned and executed to the consternation of the civilised society. Indeed, an action or a resolution of the State House of Assembly that is anything but decency and modicum of sense. A legislative rascality, impunity and a betrayal of the mandate of the people entrusted in the custody of the legislators.
What was or is supposed to be an in-house family affair, party issue, personal or individual matter was shamelessly elevated or gravitated into a village square show, where actors wittingly or unwittingly subject themselves either to public odium, condemnation, or dishonour. In this very case, the actors provoked public condemnation for washing their dirty linen in the public.
When the legislators of the Borno State House of Assembly shut down the house for a month, they did so for their selfish motives and aggrandisement. Their action is certainly not in the interest of the electorate that voted them into office
Last month, the members of the Borno State House of Assembly rose in a unanimous resolution that it was proceeding on a month holiday as a result of some members’ conflict with another member of the same party, but in the National Assembly.
The Borno State House of Assembly is an all-round All Progressives Congress-controlled house, while the member involved is a senator of the same party. The leadership of the House of Assembly announced publicly, to the amazement of many, that the House had decided to suspend its activities due to the unruly behaviour of the senator to some of its members.
Initially, there was this assumption that the Legislature was up to another gimmick or tantrum, to call for attention. However, before the shout of Jack Robinson, the Assembly made real its threat, as the House was shut down and members left for their respective homes.
Investigations revealed that there were two incidents that provoked the conflict between the legislators and the senator, who are all from the same senatorial zone. First, there was an allegation that, at a meeting of the legislators in the house of the senator in Maiduguri, the senator was said to have slapped one of the members present. Similarly, at another meeting of members of the APC held outside the state capital and in one of the local government headquarters in the same senatorial zone of the affected senator, some members of the party loyal to the senator were said to have manhandled another member of the State Assembly present, on the alleged instruction of the senator said to be absent at the gathering.
In the two instances, the senator was alleged to have denied either slapping the member of the assembly, or directing anyone to beat any state legislator at the said meeting.
The more one tries to get at the roots of the matter, the less one observes as intrigues, manipulations, deliberate falsehood, bloody backs and even threats have taken the centre stage, beclouding the true position of the entire scenario.
Inter or intra-party conflict is not unusual in a democratic setting. It is one of the attributes of democracy provided it is for the ultimate interest of the majority of the people. However, where individual or group differences are skillfully manipulated to assume, falsely, the colour of the interest of a larger society, but with undertone of selfishness or ego, the larger society is the ultimate loser, as in this case in discourse.
When the legislators of the Borno State House of Assembly shut down the house for a month, they did so for their selfish motives and aggrandisement. Their action is certainly not in the interest of the electorate that voted them into office.
The issue that led to the suspension of the activities of the Assembly for the concerned period did not emanate from the proceedings on the floor of the House. Neither was there a dispute among the legislators to have warranted such extreme position of the members. At best, the issue at stake, which appeared personal or group interest could be described as a storm in the teacup, blown out of proportion as a result of ego-flexing between the warring groups fighting over political space or recognition.
What the concerned legislators at both the state and national Assemblies must realise is that they should bring down their ego, as nothing destroys a man like ego. It is sad to observe that while various authorities and stakeholders; especially the military, Federal and Borno State Government, are battling to free Borno in particular, from the onslaught of the insurgency, the state legislators, in a bid to satisfy their political greed, have turned the Legislature to an instrument of tyranny.
However, notwithstanding the imbroglio that has taken place, it is gratifying to note that with the intervention of the state Governor, Kashim Shetima, and other stakeholders, the legislators agreed to sheathe the sword, having spent only two weeks out of the one month, self-imposed holiday. This is victory to the sense of reasoning, which at the outset, either owing to sentiments or emotions, was illusive, as primordial sentiments simply overwhelmed wisdom and sense of judgment.
Despite the resumption of duty, the legislators have a moral question to answer: will they have the conscience or moral right to collect their salaries due for the two weeks they were away on a self-imposed holiday, for a no justifiable reason other than greed and ego?
*Izekor, a journalist, public affairs analyst, is a member of the Board of Advisers of The Point.
