The Roof Leaks on Dwellers of 'Glass House'
By
In the parlance of the Pharisees, exhortations like this surely abound: "Do as I say and not as I do." Hilarious as it sounds, the expectation is
that a sermon be accepted with eyes shut on the failings of its giver. But something despicable lurks behind that ecumenical humour: a refusal to be held by
one's own precept. A secular variant of such is what the Senate could be said to have dramatized poignantly Wednesday with a show of "reconciliation" enacted.
In what looks more like a comic relief to the month-old spectacle of the impeachment move against President Olusegun Obasanjo, the upper legislative chamber
unanimously passed a resolution vacating its earlier indictment of its former president, the charismatic Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, Senator Gbenga Aluko, Senator
Roland Owie and three others over the perfidies of the "anticipatory approvals" and street-light contract between May 1999 and June 2000.
Technically, this resolution serves as an annulment of the report of the committee led by Senator Victor Oyofo. Indeed, what the Oyofo Harmonisation panel
submitted was supposed to be the "sanitized copy" of a more salacious report turned in by Senator Idris Kuta earlier in 2000. Based on this, the political
future of people like Okadigbo (who has already declared for presidency) was supposed to be hanging precariously. It was feared that the spirit of that report
could be invoked by enemies to deny the Anambra-born politician clearance from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) when the time comes.
Funnily enough, the motion that prompted the resolution was brought by no other than Aluko, one of those supposed to be guilty, and enthusiastically seconded by
Senator Arthur Nzeribe. Pleading, Aluko said: "It would be unfair to condemn certain senators to perpetual indictment as no set of senators after us would be in
any better position to re-visit the matter."
Justifying the adoption of the motion, senate president, Chief Pius Anyim, argued that all was in "the spirit of reconciliation". The nullification of the Oyofo
report was not all. Similarly, the upper legislative chamber also pardoned two senators, Ifeanyi Ararume and James Akpanudoedehe earlier suspended two weeks ago
for allegedly collecting bribe from the presidency to stop the process of over-riding the president's veto of the Electoral bill 2002. Just as plan to further
dig into the bribe allegation was shelved.
Expectedly, the mood inside the Senate chamber that Wednesday afternoon was jubilatory. Ancient adversaries would sheathe their swords and engage in bear hugs.
Okadigbo would embrace a Senator Evan Ewenrem. Aluko even brought some sentiment to the gallery: "From the election of the first Senate president of the Fourth
Republic, the policy of divide and rule was applied, and deep lines of division were created. It suited the purpose of hoodwinking the Senate and by extension
the National Assembly. We have gone through it all, and we are now conquering."
Blessed, indeed, are the political peace-makers for they shall inherit the kingdom of the future. Much as Anyim's sentiment could be said to be welcome here,
the senate, I think, has chosen the wrong censer to burn its own incense of peace. For the meaning, let us return to the parable made by Nzeribe Monday
following the threat by the distinguished senators to look into the reports that some of their own had collected N1 million each to stall the congress move
against Obasanjo's veto with a view to "dealing with" those involved.
In the open letter, Nzeribe had raised issues which tended to admonish the senate on the futility of washing its dirty linen in the public. In clear terms, the
Oguta-born senator recalled how the senate had opted to turn a blind eye (a deaf ear?) to allegations of similar nature in the past, insinuating that there were
no saints. Those who live in glass house, he philosophized, should avoid the game of throwing stones: "The senate must approach equity with clean hands. This
Senate do not have clean hands. We are in glass houses and should not throw stones moreso, at ourselves or at each other."
To be sure, reconciliation is welcome between the feuding factions of the political class. One, that gesture of Wednesday is bound to bolster the new spirit of
cohesion noticeable lately within the senate which, in turn, should reinforce its sense of independence. For so long, the upper legislative chamber had been
polarized into various camps, thus making it vulnerable to external manipulations. Beyond this promise of a new legislative robustness, some issues, however,
need to be situated properly. To accept the Wednesday event without asking some basic questions, to me, is to miss the historic import of Nzeribe's parable of
"glass house". In quashing the Oyofo report, we are only told that the issues be ignored in the "spirit of reconciliation". But get this clear: no one is
questioning the integrity of the Oyofo panel or the validity of its report for that matter. This, I think, is a far more dangerous development in that the
senate, by the action of Wednesday, would now appear to have agreed to sweep the report of a proven case of corruption under the carpet all in the "spirit of
reconciliation".
Perhaps, it is necessary here to refresh our memories on the sordid details of the Kuta report. That report indicted not only Okadigbo and company but also key
figures in the lower legislative chamber including Speaker Ghali Na'Abba, the "little Napoleon from Kano" (apology Nosa Igiebor of Tell) who was alleged to have
benefited to the tune of N10 million as kick-back from the now infamous street-light contract awarded by the presidency of Okadigbo in 2000. This is a fact
beyond the realm of speculation today. Way back in 2000, Aluko, a principal actor in the scandal, had alleged during an executive session of the senate that in
that same deal, Enwerem received N6 million bribe while Na'Abba, the new crusader for "good governance", pocketed N10 million as bribe. These assertions are yet
to be invalidated till today.
Certainly, it will not be incorrect to say that the "reconciliation" of Wednesday was prompted substantially by Nzeribe's parable of "glass house". But
considering the involvement of the senate in the present moral crusade against Obasanjo over alleged constitutional breaches, I think it amounts to a
self-contradiction for the same legislative arm to treat the Kuta report the way it did Wednesday. Filibustering is a tactic Anyim has deployed so spectacularly
on this same Oyofo report since last year. For instance, part of the recommendation of the panel is that those found guilty make recompense. But there seemed to
have been some foot-dragging on the part of the authorities in enforcing the sanction in order that the "sleeping dogs be allowed to lie". The senate could
continue to keep a conspiratorial silence in this connection. That would have been more understandable in the "spirit of reconciliation". But it is a different
thing to now write off the entire report. The facts were not contested. To do that is to bring the senate as an institution into disrepute.
The whole battle against Obasanjo, we are always reminded nowadays, is all about "constitutionalism" and "good governance". This is one moral crusade that the
senate could be said to be applying itself to today with an usually fanatical aplomb, especially judging by its own thunderous proclamations. But there cannot
be half measures in the enterprise of morality. Absolutely, there is no moral justification for the "suspension" of investigation of the allegation of N1
million bribe to senators to stall the over-riding of Obasanjo's veto on the Electoral Bill 2002. The nation deserves to know the truth. Against this backcloth,
what happened Wednesday could, therefore, be described as an own goal. For it has weakened the moral authority of the senate. Those seeking
righteousness must themselves be seen as doing righteous thing. Only the Pharisees do otherwise.
Oct 2002