For legislators to speak up

Legislators in this clime have largely been known to make laws for good governance and bring issues in their constituencies to the front burner. Constituents of such legislators are, thus, hopeful that their mouthpiece in the National or state Assembly would bring their problems to bear in discussions on the floor. It would, therefore, defeat the aim for anyone to be in those hallowed chambers and not ‘fight’ for his people, to use the local parlance. We do not overlook the glaring fact that legislators, at the state level, have largely been pocketed by governors who hold the state purse. Hope has come with one of the bills that recently got President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent. It strengthens democracy though the financial independence handed state houses of assembly.

However, at the national level, some people have stayed in the House of Representatives for three calendar years without sponsoring any bill or motion. Is it also possible for such a member to warm the bench for that number of years without making incisive contributions on the floor during plenary? And what about such a person being so aloof or inactive that he cannot attract constituency projects to his constituency? These are not mere rhetorical questions. They are the burden of the people some federal constituencies. Some of such legislators are gearing to return to the Parliament in 2019.

And that unholy ambition is what has stoked the anger of the stakeholders who, instead of triggering the recall process provided them in the Constitution simply want to employ the democratic means of changing their representative.

Two of such constituencies come to mind, namely, Okigwge North and Ideato constituencies in Imo Sate, which ironically, is the birthplace of such great politicians as Chief Collins Obih, the man who, apart from Dr. K.O. Mbadiwe and Mbonu Ojike, gave Ideato a voice in politics. It was Collins Obih who gave Chief Sam Mbakwe a run for his money in the Second Republic. It was Collins Obih who caused the creation of Ideato South Local Government Area. When Hon. Eddie Mbadiwe was there, he occupied his time writing newspaper articles and, from there, Nigerians got to know he was representing Ideato Federal Constituency. He also brought their plight to the people, according to Chief Julius Maduako, who hails from the area.

Granted that he was not expected to solve all the problems of the federal constituency, the legislator representing the zone was elected to draw the attention of the Federal Government to those plights, especially the ecological ones, threatening many communities.

The two local governments have the highest number of erosion sites in the South East, a fact that qualifies people there to have persons who should be ‘weeping legislators’ in the league of the late former governor of former Imo State, Chief Sam Mbakwe, noted for drawing national attention to flood and erosion that ravaged the state. So, when the people gathered to review the tenure of the Reps, there was an unanimous agreement that the time for change has come.

In a democratic setting, change can only come through the ballot box, which is the distinguishing thing about the process. Those who want change may not sway those who do not want it. The people and the process will decide. Either through the selection process or other circumstantial exigencies, the right people have never emerged. If this is the time for change in that place, the people will decide, not any group of people who want to perpetuate themselves or those who want to impose themselves on the system. For the avoidance of doubt, I do not hail from there, but have taken keen interest in the political developments there. Time has come for legislators to do all within their ambit to speak for their people and ensure that their constituents and constituencies are not relegated to the background.