It is not an exaggeration to opine that the phenomenon of “Sit-Tightism” which unarguably was a norm in the military era is by each passing political dispensation since Nigeria adopted democratic system of government in 1999 has been manifesting in Nigeria’s political dispensations. The foregoing fact can readily be buttressed with facts of unenviable record of rising number of sit-tight politicians, who have unashamedly remained perpetual contestants of a particular political position from one political dispensation to another. Despite serving the people in the same position for so many years, they repeatedly keep contesting without minding whether the people actually want them to continue or not. When they keep winning they seem to deludingly think the people still want them to continue; not knowing that the people have no other choice other than to vote for them. In fact, these politicians keep showing interest for the same position over and over again as if there are no other persons that are better than them in the constituencies they respectively represents.
In fact, the tragedy of this saddening and disturbing development is that after such political leaders might have spent more than a decade in government, conspicuous developmental landmarks to justify their long stay in office are hardly seen across their constituencies except the enormous wealth they acquire for themselves, and in some cases, the community lands they grabbed by virtue of their political influence and enormous wealth.
At this juncture, it is expedient to confess by saying that I was inspired to express this view after watching the screening of Barrister Festus Keyamo when he was being screened as a ministerial nominee on Tuesday, particularly as I was rather pissed off, and not envious, when Senator Darlington Nwokocha, who presently represents the people of Abia Central Senatorial District in the green chamber reeled off his political experience as a lawmaker when there are thousands of other qualified Abians that may be more qualified than him; both academically and professionally.
As he bellowed and gesticulated while posing questions to the nominee, the politician, who presently serves as a member of the senate of Nigeria representing Abia Central senatorial district made Nigerians come to the knowledge that before his election to the Senate that he was a member of the House of Representatives, representing Isiala-Ngwa North/Isiala-Ngwa South from 2015 to 2019. In fact, Nwokocha was a member of the Abia State House of Assembly from 2007 to 2015, and now in the Senate. You may call this promotion. In the opinion of this writer, it is not as there are other qualified people in his constituency.
In fact, across the 360 Federal Constituencies in Nigeria and 109 Senatorial districts in Nigeria, not a few lawmakers like Nwokocha are known to be vying for the same position by each passing political dispensation as if they are the only people that are capable of representing their constituents in Abuja. For instance, former Senate President Ahmed Lawan has been in the house of assembly since 1999. In a similar vein, if not for his appointment as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Hon. Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila would have remained in the Senate despite being elected to the House of Representatives in 2003, since when he has repeatedly been contesting and representing the people of Surulere I constituency of Lagos State as if there was no other competent person in his constituency.
Still in the same vein, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa who was elected to the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Agege Constituency I in 2007, and has always been the one representing his people since then as he was reelected in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023 and has remained the Speaker of the house.
Without mentioning names, there are other politicians; outside the lawmaking segment of Nigeria’s political landscape who come across as if the only business they can be involved in is politics despite their professional background in various field of human endeavor. It seems this retrogressive phenomenon in Nigerian politics is what a professional colleague observed when he wittingly remarked that there are many legal practitioners in politics that have never practiced professionally by representing their clients in the court.
Given the foregoing backdrop it is not a misnomer to say that Nigeria’s political landscape has been tough and slippery as these somewhat sit-tight politicians tend to play rough and do all they can to ensure that they don’t have competitors, and if they have, they ensure they don’t win as they are, no doubt, in possession of the proverbial Yam and Knife, so they cut the slice of yam to whoever they feel like giving.
In fact, left to this writer, like David Umahi, the immediate former governor of Ebonyi State, the tenures of lawmakers should be fixed.
Umahi, who spoke on the issue while still the governor of Ebonyi State sometime in May 2023 said that lawmakers should be given a three-term tenure limit to save the cost of educating new entrants into the assembly on legislative processes, and also suggested an age limit of 70 years for lawmakers in the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly.
The now Senator representing Ebonyi East Senatorial District in the 10th National Assembly who made the suggestions at a media parley, also addressed the issue of the cost of training legislators. One of the reasons he gave for canvassing for fixed tenures of legislators, is that when they have not performed to the satisfaction of their constituents, it would be difficult for them to go back to the house.
He argued that legislators that were not returned by their constituents were those who had not brought change to their communities in their time of service, hence the suggestion of a fixed tenure.
He said, “The tenures of the executives are fixed, the tenures of the legislators are not fixed. And you have to ask yourself, have we really benefited by not fixing the tenures of legislators?
“You have to be able to show that they (constituents) are part of that government by allowing projects, even the projects of the Federal Government. It could be done in the name of the Federal Government by that legislator that is representing that constituency.
“And when they don’t see anything, that’s how they vote for another person. And you know our country, they love change, they love change so much. But there is nobody that is perfect in the ways of doing things.
“But I will strongly suggest that the tenures of legislators should be fixed, and there should also be age limits for legislators. You can give them three tenures, three tenures of four years. An age limit of 70 years will be good.”
Umahi also disagreed with the notion that the National Assembly served as a retirement home for governors, stating that “The National Assembly is not a retirement home for governors. It’s a place where they want to put the experiences they acquired over the years in the governance of their states to move the nation forward.”
