2015: Are hardliners winning?

 

The recent removal of the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emodi, and her Millennium Development Goals counterpart, Dr Tunji Olajunju, reveals a growing influence of hawks within the Jonathan administration writes JOHN ALECHENU

Signs that the President Goodluck Jonathan administration will require help in managing its relations with the National Assembly showed up early. Nowhere was this reality more evident than the House of Representatives.

Members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party,  who are in a clear majority in the House, jettisoned the party’s zoning formula by rallying their opposition colleagues to elect Aminu Tambuwual as Speaker and Emeka Ihedioha as his deputy.

Although the two are members of the PDP, their aspirations for the top positions were not endorsed by the party leadership.

It is no longer news that Tambuwal emerged in spite of the President and the party’s stand just as the Senate President, David Mark, literally returned into office in spite of the Presidency’s indifference.

This situation gave the two men a level of independence, which has given some of President  Jonathan’s aides a cause for concern.

Faced with this reality, the President and his team saw a need to appoint an adviser, who would  serve as an effective liaison between the Presidency and the National Assembly.

It did not come to many as a surprise when the Presidency announced Senator Joy  Emodi, as the Presidential Adviser in charge of National Assembly Matters.

As a former two-term Senator, it was believed and rightly too, that she was the best person for the job.

She served in this capacity for a little over two years before the President dispensed with her  services.

For the uninitiated, her task in office was simple: to serve as courier-in-chief between the  President and the two arms of the National Assembly.

Recent Nigerian political history is full of examples of the fate that befell previous occupiers of this position from 1999 until Emodi’s appointment in 2011.

When Nigeria returned to democratic rule after decades of military’s foray into  politics in 1999, three  persons namely: Ambassador Aminu Wali, Senator Florence  Ita-Giwa and Senator Mohammed Abba Aji, occupied the office before 2011.

Relations  between the executive and the legislature during this period were that of mutual suspicion. A common feature of this was the rejection of executive bills as well as the refusal of the executive to assent to bills passed by the legislature.

For example, the  Niger Delta Development Commission Bill became a law in spite of the  refusal of then  President Olusegun Obasanjo to assent to it.

The National Assembly  passed the bill by an overwhelming majority when it became obvious that  Obasanjo was not disposed to appending his signature to that legislation.

Aware of the challenge before her, Senator Emodi, who was fondly called the Joy of the National Assembly, decided to rely on her acquired diplomatic skills  in her engagement with her colleagues as well as her principal.

While the job lasted, her diplomacy succeeded in winning over lawmakers  paving the way for executive bills on the floor of either the Senate or the House of Representatives.

However, members of  the House of Representatives have by their conduct and  utterances become the loudest voices of opposition to the President’s approach to governance.

This is despite the fact that the PDP members are in a majority.

Tension generated by the seeming lack of enthusiasm on the part of the President to honour resolutions passed by the National Assembly also did not help matters.

Relations between the legislature and the executive came close to snapping on many  occasions owing to the growing penchant of presidential aides to fire verbal  missiles at legislators.

Comments  attributed to the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters,  Dr. Ahmed Gulak, and the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, during a face-off between the executive and the legislature over the 2013  budget, stand out in this direction.

Gulak had while reacting to the impasse, asked Nigerians to blame the National Assembly for the poor implementation of the 2012 budget saying, “Presentation of the budget is one thing while its passage is another.

“As a reminder, the 2012 budget was passed by the National Assembly in April.  So, how do you  expect the budget to have been implemented by 80 per cent in September?”

President of the Senate, David Mark, was so miffed by these comments that he said, “I think we all feel hurt and very bad about these statements; the President as a  person is a perfect gentleman.

“What, however, is a bit disturbing is that he has surrounded himself with aides who are far from being gentlemen.

“They are totally incapable both mentally and otherwise of  doing their work;  they think they can please him by attacking the National Assembly, by discouraging the National Assembly; trying to belittle us or giving an impression that we don’t know what we are doing? It is extremely unfortunate.

“The statements that have emanated from the aides so far are totally unnecessary; they are unfortunate; they are not helpful in anyway.”

The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, also provoked the ire of lawmakers  when he described  resolutions by legislators as “merely advisory.”

His remarks earned him a summons to the National Assembly where he claimed he was misquoted.

Not long after the gaffe by her colleagues in government, Emodi as SA to the President on National Assembly Matters addressed a press conference.

During the event, she said, “Let me state categorically that the alleged statements (by my colleagues) neither reflect the views of President Goodluck Jonathan on the National Assembly nor the enormous respect he has for the institution and the cordial relationship he has encouraged between the executive and the legislature.

“In other words, those to whom the statements were credited were on their own and never spoke the mind of Mr. President.”

Unknown to her,  hawks  around the President interpreted this to mean her loyalty to the President could no longer be counted upon.

With this in mind, certain influential politicians came up with the theory that  Mark and Tambuwal are being separately positioned by forces opposed to Jonathan’s possible re-election bid, to contest for the Presidency in 2015.

To foil this plan,  it was gathered that a plot was hatched to influence a change in the leadership of the legislature.

The decision by former Vice -President Atiku Abubakar and seven governors of the ruling PDP to rebel against the Bamanga Tukur leadership provided another  opportunity to even scores.

A visit by leaders of the splinter group to the National Assembly and the tension it generated in the polity provided added fuel to an already burning fire.

Those familiar with intrigues around the corridors of power, explain that this  situation provided the hawks a golden opportunity they have so patiently waited  for.

Allegations surfaced that funds were sourced from a government ministry for  distribution to lawmakers ostensibly to move against their leaders.

This attempt backfired. Unlike similar events in the past, this time around, there was no, evidence of this attempt. Only the Baraje-led New PDP came out with a statement to allege that $25,000 dollars was offered lawmakers  to facilitate a regime change.

Despite official denials, it was gathered that self-appointed presidential liaison officers allegedly, sourced for the funds and facilitated the distribution; they did so without the knowledge or consent of the President. Emodi was also allegedly kept in the dark.

It was further learnt that a meeting was convened with the President and his  closest advisers in and outside government in attendance.

The meeting provided aides who are favourably disposed to a more aggressive approach in dealing with “recalcitrant” legislators an opportunity.

They took their chance and succeeded in persuading the President to ease Emodi and Dr. Tunji Olagunju out so as to push forward the candidature of more aggressive individuals for the job.

Olajunju, who is considered an outsider, was said to be on his way to the United Nations general assembly when he received news of his sack. Emodi was lucky; she was within the comfort of her home.

Those who obviously have the President’s ears appear to be succeeding in asking for a more aggressive approach to governance especially at a time the President (who is believed to be nursing a yet to be declared second term ambition) is warming up for a crucial election year.

Without a doubt, hardliners within the administration are having a field day as the nation prepares for the 2015 elections. Only time will tell how long their reign will last.