Udom Emnanuel has no respect for separation of powers
By Christian Essien
Governor Udom Emmanuel appears to have finally launched the first salvo in the war he was advised to prepare for some months ago by none other than his former campaign director general. And he aimed straight for the very heart of democracy; the parliament itself.
There is no other way to interpret the invasion of the Akwa Ibom State this morning, by Udom Emmanuel's thugs, while those direct, grassroot representatives of the people were in session, to conduct the people's business. In our system of constitutional democratic government, there are three arms of government; the executive, to operate the business of government on a day-to-day basis, the legislature; to make the laws that guide such operation and the judiciary, to interpret those laws and ensure that their operation is done according to law. The effective, legal and constitutional operation of this system is anchored on a concept that seems not to have been heard, let alone understood, by Emmanuel and that is *separation of powers.*
How the various arms of government do their thing is beyond the constitutional remit of the chief executive, which Udom keeps forgetting, is what he is. He is neither a paramount ruler nor an absolute monarch.
We know Deacon Emmanuel would prefer a tame, lapdog parliament. We know also that he had such a parliament while Onofiok Luke was speaker. But the spirit and letter of our constitutional democracy abhors a legislature that sits inside the pockets of the chief executive, no matter how commodious those pockets may be or whether all the gold and silver in the world are stored therein. The removal of Onofiok Luke as speaker and the prospect of an independent parliament under the able leadership of Rt Hon NSE Ntuen of the APC have proven more threatening of Emmanuel's suzerainty than he can bear. Hence this morning's assault on the people of Akwa Ibom.
Why can't Udom Emmanuel borrow a democratic leaf from President Muhamnadu Buhari who, notwithstanding extreme provocation, has let the federal legislature be? Why won't Udom, like PNB, respect their constitutionally guaranteed independence? Why unleash thugs, live gunfire and sundry mayhem because parliamentarians of another political party are now in charge of the state assembly?
Of course, we know the answers to these and related questions. We know for instance that Udom Emmanuel is not, has never been and will never be, a democrat. We know that the route by which he arrived in government house as governor was a far from democratic one. We know he does not love the people over whose lives he superintendents. We know in fact, that he holds them in contempt, being as he is on record as having derided them as ignorant, unexposed and poor.
What we don't know is why he insists on being our governor. We don't know if it satisfies some atavistic need in him to lord it over those he doesn't much care for. We don't know if he craves the position for what he is getting out of it.
In truth, we don't much care what makes Udom Emmanuel what he is. What we care about is that in the few months that are left of his suzerainty, he should let our parliamentarians be and that he should respect their independence and their new leadership even while packing his bags. To return to Lagos from whence he came.
By Christian Essien
Governor Udom Emmanuel appears to have finally launched the first salvo in the war he was advised to prepare for some months ago by none other than his former campaign director general. And he aimed straight for the very heart of democracy; the parliament itself.
There is no other way to interpret the invasion of the Akwa Ibom State this morning, by Udom Emmanuel's thugs, while those direct, grassroot representatives of the people were in session, to conduct the people's business. In our system of constitutional democratic government, there are three arms of government; the executive, to operate the business of government on a day-to-day basis, the legislature; to make the laws that guide such operation and the judiciary, to interpret those laws and ensure that their operation is done according to law. The effective, legal and constitutional operation of this system is anchored on a concept that seems not to have been heard, let alone understood, by Emmanuel and that is *separation of powers.*
How the various arms of government do their thing is beyond the constitutional remit of the chief executive, which Udom keeps forgetting, is what he is. He is neither a paramount ruler nor an absolute monarch.
We know Deacon Emmanuel would prefer a tame, lapdog parliament. We know also that he had such a parliament while Onofiok Luke was speaker. But the spirit and letter of our constitutional democracy abhors a legislature that sits inside the pockets of the chief executive, no matter how commodious those pockets may be or whether all the gold and silver in the world are stored therein. The removal of Onofiok Luke as speaker and the prospect of an independent parliament under the able leadership of Rt Hon NSE Ntuen of the APC have proven more threatening of Emmanuel's suzerainty than he can bear. Hence this morning's assault on the people of Akwa Ibom.
Why can't Udom Emmanuel borrow a democratic leaf from President Muhamnadu Buhari who, notwithstanding extreme provocation, has let the federal legislature be? Why won't Udom, like PNB, respect their constitutionally guaranteed independence? Why unleash thugs, live gunfire and sundry mayhem because parliamentarians of another political party are now in charge of the state assembly?
Of course, we know the answers to these and related questions. We know for instance that Udom Emmanuel is not, has never been and will never be, a democrat. We know that the route by which he arrived in government house as governor was a far from democratic one. We know he does not love the people over whose lives he superintendents. We know in fact, that he holds them in contempt, being as he is on record as having derided them as ignorant, unexposed and poor.
What we don't know is why he insists on being our governor. We don't know if it satisfies some atavistic need in him to lord it over those he doesn't much care for. We don't know if he craves the position for what he is getting out of it.
In truth, we don't much care what makes Udom Emmanuel what he is. What we care about is that in the few months that are left of his suzerainty, he should let our parliamentarians be and that he should respect their independence and their new leadership even while packing his bags. To return to Lagos from whence he came.
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