FROM the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has come a damning verdict Wednesday that the former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) during the late Umaru Musa Yar'Adua administration misguided the President over non-compliance with the rule of law, which is a fundamental pillar of democracy.
According to him, "despite Yar'Adua's early track record of supporting the cause of rule of law in Nigeria, his administration was unfortunately misguided and appeared running counter to the precepts of the principle owing, for instance, to the conduct and utterances of his Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice."
He cited the case of the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, as a destructive reference point to that effect. Tambuwal spoke yesterday at the 30th Annual Memorial Anniversary lecture of Malam Aminu Kano, organised by the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training, Bayero University, Kano, at Mambayya House, Kano, where he was guest speaker.
The theme of the lecture being, Rule of Law: Fundamental Condition for Good Governance and Sustainable Democracy, he noted that, "disrespect of the rule of law in Nigeria has opened up another debate on the legitimacy of the public officers at the national, state and even local governments in the federation."
These, in his opinion, made civilian administration worse than military regime in terms of flagrant disregard to the rule of law. He said that since the return of democracy in 1999, the integrity and accountability of the country's judicial system has been under serious challenge and scrutiny because of some pronouncements made were seen as externally influenced, undermining the independence of the judiciary.
Further buttressing the absence of rule of law in the activities of the executive, Tambuwal said the overbearing tendencies of the executive had negative impacts on the legislature and the judiciary, and also impacted negatively on other independent agencies of government as well as non-state actors like the civil societies and the media.
"Nigeria is yet to condition herself to the practice of rule of law as a guiding principle in the art of governance," he said.
Yet, there is still the possibility of light at the end of the tunnel, indeed long tunnel, because the democratic institutions in the current phase of democratisation are gradually being reawakened on the question of accountability, constitutionalism and the rule of law."
Concerning the flagrant abuse of power in the area of budget implementation, Tambuwal observed that during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo and to a lesser extent, the Yar'Adua/Jonathan and now Jonathan, constitutional provisions on the power of the purse and appropriation were overlooked in contravention of the principle of separation of powers and checks and balances.
The Guardian