Enough Of This Presidency, Senate Rift

The Senate, penultimate Tuesday, apparently piqued by the Presidency’s utter disregard of its resolutions, in remonstrance, resolved to suspend for two weeks, the screening and confirmation of 27 Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) nominees submitted to it by the latter.
The Upper Chamber of the National Assembly was particularly peeved at the Presidency’s retention of Mr. Ibrahim Magu as the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) despite the rejection of his nomination by the lawmakers for the second time.
Magu’s rejection as Chairman of the anti-graft agency by the Senate was sequel to a repost by the Department of State Services (DSS) indicting him of having huge integrity deficit, even as he continues in the acting position despite calls for his removal.
Several senators had at the plenary on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, spoken against the consideration of a letter from the Presidency requesting legislative approval of 27 Nigerians as RECs of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Albeit, the Senate had premised its two-week ultimatum to President Buhari on the Magu saga, not a few highly perceptible Nigerians and indeed, keen watchers of the unfolding political gridlock are aware that the spat between the Upper Chamber and the Presidency dates back to the dramatic events that led to the emergence of the Saraki-led leadership of the Senate. If anything, the Senate has, since then, engaged the presidency in a ‘war by other means’.
Even as the Magu’s case remains unresolved,  the cases of some appointees of the Presidency whom the lawmakers accuse of being unruly, particularly the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal and the Chairman of the Presidential Committee On Anti-Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, have not helped matters. While the Senators have not relented in ensuring that these executive appointees appear before them to throw more light on the allegations leveled against them, including their utterances which the distinguished Senators felt were totally disparaging, the appointees concerned have also not left any stone unturned in ensuring that they thwart every effort by the Upper Chamber to appear before it for investigation.
The Senate had in the past queried the continued stay in office of the SGF who has refused to appear before it over allegations of corruption just as the Customs boss has declined the Upper Chamber’s invitation to appear before it in the service uniform.
The stance of these men, including that of Sagay who has not stopped lambasting the senators at the slightest opportunity, has pitted the Presidency against the Senators who now see the entire episode as a clear slight, dishonor, and disregard for the legislative arm of government.
Such arrant disobedience to legislative resolutions, the Senators noted, and rightly too, portends grave danger to the nation’s nascent democracy, hence their avowal to deploy every arsenal within their legislative competence to enforce obedience to their resolutions and restore the dignity of the Senate.
The Tide, however, sees these ugly developments which have triggered off the unfolding Presidency/Senate face off as avoidable and unnecessary distractions, particularly at a recessionary time when the two arms of government should synergise for the well-being of beleaguered Nigerians who have since been enmeshed in the nadir of socio-economic asphyxia.
More worrisome is the fact that such distractions are coming from members of the same ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
What this scenario requires now is political dexterity and understanding by both the Presidency and the Senate in the national interest. This is why we applaud the recent move by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, even if belated, to mend fences with the Senate over the naughty issues which gave impetus to the prevailing rift.
As it is, the National Assembly (NASS), particularly, the Senate must seize this opportunity of the Olive Branch offered by the Presidency in the national interest which, we think, should at this point override personal or sectional interest if Nigeria must move to the next level.
While The Tide recognises the immense power of the NASS, particularly the Senate under the constitution, it should be circumspect on decisions, affecting the Nigerian State and not dwell on mundane issues that have no bearing on our collective existence.
As we expect NASS to be wary of its oversight functions and act constitutionally, the Presidency should set a code of conduct for its officials to prevent them from fanning the embers of avoidable discord between it and the NASS.
What is more, while most Nigerians are battling with hunger, poverty and insecurity, we expect our leaders to be more committed to salvaging the country from the present economic predicament rather than wasting energy on fruitless bickering.