Just when you think Nigeria has discarded its image as a country with dysfunctional institutions where bizarre things can happen, the government manages to find a way to vindicate those who say Nigeria is a country where wonders shall never end. The latest example is the charging of Senate President, Bukola Saraki to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on alleged false declaration of assets dating back to 2003, when he was governor of Kwara State. Judging from the political maneuvers that culminated in Saraki’s emergence as Senate President, it certainly is an unimaginable coincidence, for the Attorney General to proffer charges; 12 years after the alleged crimes were committed. This invariably suggests a shameful vendetta against Saraki, who assumed the Senate presidency against the directive of his party; the APC. Coming after the DSS humiliation of former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, the development is a sad commentary on due process, in addition to being the shame of a nation. For, all things considered, neither the fight against corruption nor that of purposeful leadership would be served; a tragedy Nigeria can do without.
Expectedly, the controversy has excited intense public recriminations, with many unanswered questions; not the least of which is the timing: why it took 12 years for the CCB to realize Saraki made false assets declaration. In timing, the charges are imprudent, almost puerile, in a way that advertises a certain pettiness at the highest level of Nigeria’s leadership. Quite predictably, the APC and PDP has continued their war of attrition and slanging match with the APC discounting claims by the PDP that the ruling party is out to emasculate the legislature and install a dictatorship. The Presidency has come out strongly to deny any involvement, saying the 13-count charge bordering on corruption and alleged false declaration of assets, levelled against Saraki is purely a judicial process. On this score, the office of the AGF which filed the charges before the CCT, have a lot of explaining to do for Nigerians to believe that the charges are not politically-motivated.
Sequel to the 13-count charge slammed by the CCB, Saraki approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain the CCB, CCT and Federal Ministry of Justice from proceeding on his trial. He prayed the court to declare that the Ministry of Justice has not complied with the provision of the 3rd Schedule of Section 24(1) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act before proffering a charge against him. But Justice Ahmed Mohammed ordered the Ministry of Justice, chairmen of the CCB, CCT and other respondents to appear before him and show cause why they should not be stopped from arraigning Saraki. Based on this, Saraki refused to appear before the CCT for arraignment last Friday. Angered by his absence, the CCT ordered that a warrant of arrest be issued by the Inspector General of Police to bring Saraki to the Tribunal. Saraki is appealing the CCT ruling.
However this plays out, Nigerians see the action as being in bad faith and the standing view is that the action is punishment for Saraki’s violation of his party’s directives. But veering into the quagmire of political grandstanding holds the potential of eroding the high moral ground from which the President intends to fight corruption. In the first instance, the CCB’s action has unnecessarily engendered fault lines which put considerable strain on the relationship between the Senate and the Presidency. Another side of the expected face-off is the division among Senators and likely disruption of Senate activities.
As expected, signs have started emerging that it is going to be a long drawn battle that will register casualties on both sides. Little surprise, Senators across party lines have condemned the move; vowing to support the leadership of Saraki and warning the government to focus on governance and not politically motivated distractions. But with the battle lines drawn, the smooth processing of executive requests for Bills, Budget proposals, and many others would become more difficult. The problem might even affect the cabinet appointments expected to be sent to the Senate. All nominees perceived to be against Saraki would do well to forget being confirmed as Ministers for now. It could be as bad as that!
The AGF’s office and the CCB might not have taken into consideration these ramifications and nobody queries their right to charge any citizen to the CCT, especially when allegations of the abuse of public office are made. However, the CCB did not handle the issue in a manner that freed it of criticism. The result is the condemnable shoddiness that has jarred public consciousness. Sadly, such sloppiness mocks the president’s war against corruption. To be taken seriously, the CCB and other anti-graft agencies must perform their duties without courting unnecessary controversy. The CCB cannot claim ignorance of the law and its own statutes to have precipitated the public showmanship in what has turned out to be an unnecessary embarrassment that served no other purpose that overheat the polity and traumatize the nation. And of course, nobody but the president bears responsibility for such conducts.
Obviously, the anti-corruption campaign of Buhari may lead to the arrest of many people. But in charging Saraki, the CCB might have been right but did not act wisely. The agency misread the political climate and acted imprudently; costing the government much deserved political capital. By far more worrisome, however, the CCB knew, or ought to have known that the diffident act of charging a high personality like Saraki in such a cavalier manner would not only nibble at the agency’s credibility, it would generate an unusual uproar and easily lend itself to charges of being used for partisan witch-hunts and political vendetta. This government must not validate the growing perception that it is on a witch-hunt against real or perceived enemies of the administration.
The tragedy of Nigeria is that its leaders and politicians generally are yet to imbibe the essential attributes of the rule of law. For them, law is no more than a tool of fulfilling their political dreams and aspirations. This is a serious aberration that reduces it to a respecter of persons, and gives way to an obnoxious philosophy, that makes public office holders unquestionable and beyond reproach. The result is a pandemic of corruption. It is indeed a pity that Nigerians have merely watch in bewilderment as this malaise gather momentum, forgetting that the price they pay for this is good governance. Nigerians cannot afford to be guilty of conspiracy of silence, mute indifference and cold complicity which their silence would suggest should they continue to ignore these humongous travesties of justice without a modicum of decorous protest.
Nigerians would be more interested in the convictions of corrupt persons than agencies just parading and disparaging individuals. Nigerians want an effective prosecution of all cases of corruption and other excesses to serve as a deterrent to others, not the made-for-media dramas currently starring the nation’s anti-graft and security agencies. Until that begins to happen, there is no redeeming value from the poverty of sound leadership currently on parade in Nigeria.