Of senate presidency race, and the reckless REC

As the race for the next senate president and speaker of the house gradually takes shape, it is becoming increasingly interesting, with even first-time senators throwing their hats into the ring. 

However, religion is likely to play a significant role in determining the senate president due to the current Muslim-Muslim combination of the president and vice president. In a country sharply divided along ethnic and religious lines, the religion of the senate president could be a sensitive issue.

It is concerning to see Muslim senators vying for the position of senate president. This shows a lack of emotional intelligence and insensitivity to the complexities of leading a country like Nigeria. In a developing country like Nigeria, religion always plays a role, even if the majority pays lip service to religion.

For the sake of common sense, all Muslim aspirants should humbly resign from the senate presidency race and consider the deputy senate presidency slot.

The president-elect, Bola Tinubu, is a smart man, and he wouldn’t want to start his administration on the wrong foot and be labelled a fundamentalist.

Now that the election has been won and lost, it is time for governance. In the house of representatives, religion is not a significant issue, and attention is on the number three man.

The Adamawa supplementary election raises concerns about the reckless behaviour of the resident electoral commissioner, Hudu Yunusa.

He announced the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Aisha Binani, as the winner of the gubernatorial election without providing figures. This move appeared like a brazen coup, and it begs the question of how he expected to get away with it. The timely intervention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) saved the state from a potential crisis.

In Nigeria, crimes and aberrant behaviour continue to thrive because there are no punishments for bad behaviour. It is encouraging that President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended the Adamawa REC, but it should go beyond that. He should be in jail pending the outcome of the investigation.

The incident highlights the need to build strong institutions instead of relying on strong men. If our institutions were strong, we wouldn’t need a statement from the president announcing the suspension. The police would have acted swiftly and arrested the man without orders from the president.

Similarly, the CBN’s refusal to obey the supreme court order on the new naira notes until the president issued a statement shows the need to strengthen our institutions. We should not wait for the president’s nod to obey court orders or perform our duties.

A strong and independent judiciary is crucial to ensuring the rule of law and protecting citizens’ rights. We can strengthen the judiciary by increasing the resources available to it, improving the quality of judges and magistrates, and ensuring that the judiciary is free from political interference.

Building strong institutions in Nigeria requires sustained efforts that address the root causes of institutional weakness. By promoting good governance, capacity building, public participation, strengthening the judiciary, and fostering a culture of accountability, Nigeria can achieve a more stable and prosperous future. It may be challenging, but we have to start somewhere. The barest intervention of politicians in our system should be a priority.