The principle of separation of powers states that the executive, legislative, and judiciary powers of government should be divided into different branches and not concentrated in one.
These departments should be separate and distinct because of the corrupting nature of power.
This philosophy heavily influenced the writing of the United States Constitution, according to which the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of the United States government are kept distinct in order to prevent abuse of power.
In Nigeria and from the tone of the moderators of TV discussion programmes i watch like “Focus nigeria” on AIT and “Sunrise daily” on channels, it appears to me that they seem not to understand that the senate is a completely independent organ of government that does not have to do the bidding of the executive. The senate have the power to refuse any nominee presented to them by the executive if they have cogent reasons to. Even if the president has cleared a nominee, the senate can decide to reopen investigation on the nominee if they have evidence to the contrary of the president’s submissions. These moderators, by the questions they ask and by trying to tele-guide the discussions are misinforming the Nigerian public and in the process impressing their own personal opinions on Nigerians.
On “focus Nigeria” today, Gbenga Aruleba was busy gloating and confusing Nigerians by misunderstanding the fact that the alleged imported senate armoured vehicle was bought in 2015 when the exchange rate was 165 and not last year when he paid school fees at an exchange rate of 280. During the discussions, he was wondering why the senate would request for a report from the DSS when the president had submitted the nominee to the senate for confirmation. Who told him that the senate is bound by the president’s nominations and appointments? Who told him that the senate cannot reject any nominee they have a cogent issue with? He didn’t bother to ask why the same executive is on one hand appointing a nominee and on the other hand condemning him? Why is he not interested to investigate the reasons why the DSS gave such a report about Magu thrice even after the president has supposedly investigated Magu via the attorney general? Even if the senators are uncomfortable with Magu for obvious reasons, is it not the same executive that handed in the ammunition required to finish him off? Doesn’t he realise that in the same manner Nigerians voted for the president, so did Nigerians from all nooks and crannies of Nigeria via senatorial zones, vote for their representatives?
The National Assembly is representative of the voice of Nigerians and are a completely separate organ of government that should work with the government and not work for it. Let’s not forget that the current problems between the senate and the executive started with the emergence of Saraki as senate president as against initial calculations. Since then, there has been a sustained plan of action to rubbish the senate and its leadership. Saraki was hurriedly arraigned by the CCT for an offence almost all governors both former and serving are guilty of. Almost all the serving, ex governors in the senate and even cabinet ministers in the executive are all guilty of embezzling money during their tenures. Singling out Saraki alone for arraignment was an ill advised selective witch hunt attempt which has only served to belittle the senate before the eyes of the Nigerians. The senate has been put in a position where they have refused to be bullied by the executive and are now fighting back.
People talk and criticise as outrageous, the National Assembly budget. Have they bothered to ask what the actual budget of the presidency is and what unknown unbudgeted funds they have access to?
Have they bothered to ask what the executive do with their 52% share of the FAAC funds, since the country is grounded infrastructurally and while they criminally still grasp on to 68 items on the exclusive list to justify their share.
There is also this notion held by Nigerians that the executive under Buhari can do no wrong even in the face of glaring incompetence, cluelessness and planlessness. There is this blind hero worship of the Buhari cult figure that makes every problem not Buharis fault but the fault of his opponents. Let’s not forget that the 1st budget padding scandal was detected by the senate but was later turned against the senate and the house of reps. The question Nigerians failed to ask then, was, how did such a scandalous budget miss the attention of the president’s men unless they were of course involved in its manipulation? The second budget presented, is also fraught with paddings which the senate have again detected. Nigerians have conveniently forgotten the Aso Rock clinic and the catering equipment and other paddings and now blame the senate for not working on the budget.
The Nigerian senate is now locked in a battle for survival and are struggling to preserve the dignity of the hallowed chamber that the executive have so bastardised via Sahara reporters and the Buhari media centre. The attack on the judges by the DSS on the prompting of the presidency for whatever reason was a clear infraction of the doctrine of separation of powers. If the executive has the power to checkmate and harrass the legislature and the judiciary, who then has the power to checkmate the executive from misgovernance and dictatorial tendencies?.
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