By Mobolaji Sanusi
“Politics is the only profession where you can lie, cheat, and steal, and still be respected.”——Samuel Langhorne Clemens is globally known as Mark Twain(1835–1910)
It looks rare and absurd, yet unbelievably true. The fact-in-issue for the day underscores the mindless and avaricious mindset of an average black man who doubles as a politician. Combining these two features is repressively killing good governance in the African continent. This much was buttressed by Senator Hope Uzodimma days ago with his precedent-laying inordinate aspiration in the country’s unfurling 2027 electoral season.
Yes. Uzodimma, incumbent governor of Imo state, ab initio got to power through a Supreme Court’s judgment despite coming fourth in that year’s election. He’s running his subsisting second term, secured in an off-season election, and by the next general election in January 2027, he will still have thirteen months more to run out his ongoing tenure. Despite this fact, he’s shockingly set to dump his exalted governorship seat to run for the Senate slot from his Imo West constituency. That idea and its thought may be legal and democratic, but it surely sounds out of sync with decorum, good reason, public morality, and common sense.
To anyone, reasonable enough to appreciate institutional values and integrity in public service, the idea cannot but sound politically wild, conjuring a tale by moonlight imagery. Sadly, confirmatory evidence abounds to affirm that Uzodimma’s aspiration is not a fiction but a reality. And this is consequent upon his recent screening by the All Progressives Congress(APC) party apparatchik, despite his subsisting governorship tenure that is ending in about two years. The coast now seems clear for him to actualise his outlandish ambition.
Through his official X handle last Sunday, he sugar-coated by announcing that his “people of Imo West Senatorial District have once again called upon him to serve” and that he had accepted the “noble call with utmost humility, sincerity of purpose, and unwavering commitment to the collective advancement” of their interests. This peripherally sounds more like Uzodimma is truly being called upon by his people even when it is nothing but a cacophony of concocted propaganda. This fact is bound to be established in the ensuing paragraphs of this piece.
Truly, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown as everything, good or bad, is usually heaped on the head of whoever is the leader. In this regard, Uzodimma ascribed the inspiration behind his senatorial aspiration to be his desire to wholeheartedly support President Bola Tinubu through “quality representation, effective legislation, enhanced development, and sustainable progress.” Hmmm! This clearly contradicts his opening statement on his X handle that his people, whom he is currently serving as executive governor beckoned upon him to dump them and go to the senate. Obviously, the president could not have told him to take such quirkier action. Question: Who is he going to represent in the Senate; his people or President Tinubu or his self-serving ambition to succeed Senate-President Godswill Akpabio in the upcoming 11th Senate?
Still confounding to think that Uzodimma will hypocritically state that his selfish desire to dump Imo state people is inspired by his desire to serve the interests of only one man. If this writer were to be the president, one would, in good conscience, have told Uzodimma to say that to the Marines. This is because his touted “quality representation, effective legislation, enhanced development, and sustainable progress,” that he erroneously planned to deploy for a single individual in the executive arm of government, would better serve the interests of Imo West Senatorial District and Nigeria as a whole. As an aspiring second-term senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, his primary focus is expected, to stricto sensu, be about providing his constituents with quality representation that is accompanied by an undiluted allegiance to the nation, and not one single individual as he was hypocritically making us swallow.
Assuming the ruling party’s screening committee/leadership considers true national interests and the need to protect the doctrine of separation of powers which strongly advocated for checks and balances between the three arms of government as espoused by Baron de Montesquieu, the French philosopher in his highly influential work, The Spirit of Laws, which was published in 1748, Uzodimma should have been outrightly denied the senatorial ticket. Again, why will a man wielding enormous executive power as governor of a state, with just two years into his second term of another four years, be desirous of abandoning, not only the seat but his people, in pursuit of an inordinate ambition of getting an anticipatory but uncertain Senate Presidency’s seat?
As a sitting governor, Uzodimma has the power to turn the fortunes of his people for good without any inhibitions. He has billions of naira in monthly allocations, internally generated revenue, grants, and loans that he spends without any realistic impediments. He needs to be asked what difference his ongoing governorship opportunity has made for his people to make him feel that jumping ship to the federation’s legislature is the next thing. He unbelievably wants to be that legislator whose routine stock-in-trade is usually scavenging on executive institutions of the federation through condemnable budget padding, under the guise of conducting oversight functions so as to make whatever impact on constituents. This cannot be compared to the awesome executive powers of a state governor who can single-handedly decide on whatever he so desires with state resources.
Whoever is goading Uzodimma to abandon his governorship seat so that he can anticipatorily become the next Senate President is deceiving him because today’s not forever. What is that thing that he forgot at the senate that he cannot wait for his governorship tenure to end before returning to pick up? His ambition, this time, smacks of desperation and inordinacy. In Proverbs 16:9, the scriptures have admonition for power desperados like Uzodimmas of this world where it states: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
Constitutionally, Uzodimma’s current tenure as governor runs until January 15, 2028. If he wins the senate seat in January 2027, he’ll abruptly abdicate the governorship seat and move out of Douglas House in Owerri, Imo state capital next year’s June. Making it back to the Senate as a sitting governor with subsisting tenure is not only rare but absurd. He’ll be setting a bad precedent of political greed devoid of any iota of selflessness or due consideration for the good of his people that he presently governs.
At this point in time, the country needs a largely political elite class that has reasonable respect for democratic institutions. The country is currently faced with a dearth of this specie of politicians. This perhaps informs why the indomitable Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi stated sometime ago: “If we really want to fix this country, we need to have class. The ruling class must have values beyond stomach infrastructure….” Nigeria, according to Sanusi Lamido currently has “highly educated people in government who behave like illiterates by turning themselves to praise singers…where professors and doctorate holders are seen clapping for mediocrity…” The outspoken Kano emir’s observation could only be a symptom of one thing which is that “something is deeply wrong” with our system and society.
Factually, something is really and deeply wrong with not only our society but also the ruling party that screened an off-season elected sitting governor, aspiring to go for the senate slot of his constituency when as at the time of the upcoming general elections, his tenure as governor will still be subsisting. What the APC is about to allow Uzodimma do is nothing but a mockery of democracy and its cherished values. Something has to be done to stop this politically outrageous ambition.
•Sanusi, former MD/CEO of Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency, is currently managing partner at AMS RELIABLE SOLICITORS.(WhatsApp Only-07011117777).
