Hon Leonard Okuweh Ogor member representing Isoko North Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives has described the election of the new Speaker as a true display of their constitutional rights. Speaking with RUTH CHOJI, the lawmaker also called on those behind the various bombings in the country to sheath their swords and embrace dialogue for lasting peace. Excerpts:
The emergence of the new Speaker suggests possible repercussions in the party, what is your take on that?
I don’t think members went contrary to the decision of the party. Members were mindful of their oath of allegiance as enshrined in the constitution. They were also aware of the clear provision of section 50 which states very clearly that, a Speaker and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives who shall be elected by members of the House from amongst themselves. We should be mindful that sometimes, due process must be given its opportunity, especially now that we are in the era of respect for the rule of law, members sat and decided that it is important that we get the best for the House, the best material that will be able to run the affairs of the House especially with the challenges that we have seen in the sixth session.
They sat among themselves and categorically said that they need someone that is humble, a detribalised Nigerian, a man that has the interest of his colleagues and know that the project Nigeria is an achievable one, and we saw this qualities in Hon Aminu Tambuwa, we were prepared to go the extra mile because of the traits we saw in him, we were not prepared at that time to sacrifice merit for zoning, it wasn’t that we have disregard for the party, we have so much respect for our great party, but we were aware of the provisions of the constitution that guarantees our rights.
Is zoning still obtainable in the party?
Sure, the party can decide to do whatever it wants for zoning, we have no objection to that. I think there should be room for consultation, if there was consultation, we would have sat down with the party and pointed it out to them that we have seen a great leader in Tambuwal, we were looking for the best to lead the House.
But his emergence has skewed the South-West from the scheme of things in the polity, don’t you think one zone is being marginalised?
As a Nigerian, I get worried when we divide this country into south, north, east and west, I don’t think it is in the interest of the nation. I appeal to Nigerians today that in the interest of peace, we should avoid this issue of zone, either on tribal bases or religion, it is a major factor in our polity, that will in the end create a major problem for us. If you ask me sincerely, we must look for leaders that are detribalised, not as a person that sees himself as a Yoruba, Igbo man or Ijaw man.
We must avoid the concept of the man that comes from zone A must look after the interest of zone A, I am also mindful of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and have not seen where it defines the issue of zoning. I am worried that the term ‘zoning’ has eaten so deep into the fabric of our lives. Unfortunately in the long run, if we don’t handle the issue of zoning cautiously, it will create disunity among us. When you talk and represent yourself as a Nigerian, nobody will be really bothered whether you are from the north or south, but today you find people saying that, ‘No, this office must come to this, that one to that’. Instead of us to look at the project Nigeria, it has been zoning.
There have been cases of bomb blast in some parts of the country, and people are blaming the government for not being proactive, what is your take on this?
I am worried, I think as a matter of urgency and being mindful of what the Constitution says as the responsibility of government, ‘the security and welfare of the citizens shall be the primary responsibility of government.’
Does it mean that the government has failed in its responsibility?
No, it happens in America and other countries, you cannot tie that to failure, it is the way some people express their grievances, I think we should look at issues holistically. The security personnels should wake up, the executive should wake up, we must all look at this challenges and make sure that there is peace and security in this country.
Some people have been calling for the head of the Inspector General of police, should he be blamed?
No, the most important thing we should look at is what led to the bombing, because for every problem, there is a solution. I am in support of finding the solution rather than telling someone to resign. He is doing his best, a lot of innocent people are being killed, Nigerians who are going about their genuine duties. I think we should go back to the round table and prepare for dialogue, I appeal to everyone involved to lay down their arms and embrace dialogue.
There have been suggestions to the president to choose technocrats, and inject fresh blood into the new administration, what is your take on this?
We must try and appreciate what governance is all about. It is constitutionally enshrined in the Constitution that when you elect a president, you have given him a lot of powers. When you look at the provisions of section 5, the executive powers of the federation are vested on the president, and he is constitutionally allowed to pick whoever he wants to be his minister, our duty as public is to advise. But personally, I think he should pick technocrats,what I would say is that we should be constructive in our critism, not destructive.
On a lighter note, while many legislators lost in their bid to come back, you have been elected for the third term, what is the secret?
First, let me state clearly that power belongs to the people, it therefore means that you must visit your constituency on a daily basis to tell them what is happening in Abuja. I have not made Abuja my home, I don’t take action here without having their inputs, it therefore means that they are the people running the show here and not Hon Leo. On the issue of state creation, I had a different opinion entirely, but my constituency has a different opinion and I had to work with their own.
I think they must have seen some qualities in me and I am very grateful to them too. When people ask me what I have done to my constituency, I tell them that I am first of all a lawmaker, and the provision of section 4 clearly states that, the lawmaker’s job is to make good laws for the good governance of this country. But because of our society, you find lawmaker going to the ministries to make sure that they sell one product or the other for their community as the core business they were elected to do here, but I think that we will gradually get to that level where people will understands the real duties of a lawmaker.