We do not know who is telling the truth, yet, so let us go over what we do know. On the table is an attempt to impeach the President of the Federal Republic. He faces assorted charges of constitutional violations, to which he has responded, part in jest, part in imperious earnestness. Lately, there has been no official word on the matter, and an impeachment threat that was beginning to boil over had magically begun to disappear.

In such circumstances, Nzeribe's 300 million Naira refreshments in the upper chamber begins to put things into a different perspective, and it would be difficult to persuade the Nigerian voter that nothing untoward has taken place. Given that we are talking about the nation's highest law-making organ, I can only hope that the allegation is not true.

Let us look on the bright side. One reason that we have been unable to make progress in this country is that corruption at the highest levels has never been punished. The nation's wallet is spent buying favours rather than answering the popular will, and no one is ever brought to book.

The impeachment of a President would be a shock to our young democracy, but it would be a welcome shock, the kind that is good for the system if the objective is to ensure that the constitution is honoured in the future. Corruption in the Senate at this level, should it be proved, would be devastating. Who would you trust to make law for you if supposedly respectable Nigerians can be bought for the price of a used car? In the future, how much would be required to persuade them to away entire local councils or institutions?

No one is surprised that the Senators are defending their honour with great vigour. As the drama unfolds, there is a move in the Senate to fold up the anti-graft commission, which has begun to investigate aspects of the cesspit. In the House of Representatives, Speaker Ghali Umar Na'abba has also taken the Commission, which is headed by Justice Mustapha Akanbi, to court over its investigations of the petition of Chief Nzeribe.

Two issues stand out here. First of all, it is comforting that our legislators find that when trouble beckons, they do trust the judiciary to render justice. This is ironic, since we elect our legislators in the understanding that we can count on their integrity. Now, what if the judge also wants to buy a used car?

The second issue is more important than pocketing freshly printed Naira bills. Since 1999, a pattern of institutionalized looting has emerged in the federal legislature, a pattern where legislators have redefined the business of lawmaking in terms of how many private contracts can be distributed. Even in-house reports emanating from the place have made this shameful point and implicated many members, but nobody has been decent enough yet even to resign.

It is important to recognize that the Nzeribe fork on the highway is only one milestone. It is not the journey. Eventually, enough of the shenanigans will be uncovered to set the picture straight. For every legislator that wants to cheat Nigerians, the first thing would be to find a leaf big enough under which to hide, and hope that that leaf neither rots nor is blown away. It is also perfectly in order to try to buy journalists or judges or silence; all you have to do is make certain there is enough room under that leaf to hold you and your secrets. If you do not, that leaf will be removed, and it will be replaced with a grave either for you, or for your political reputation.