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British lawmakers discuss third term, leave decision to Nigerians
NIGERIA's current political crisis, especially the plot to amend the constitution to accommodate a third term for President Olusegun Obasanjo and state governors was the subject of debate at the British parliament on Tuesday.
While they admitted that the alleged tenure extension was real and heating up the Nigerian polity, the senior legislators quickly pointed out that the citizens should have the final say on the issue.
In fact, the British House of Lords said it was incompetent to intervene in the affairs of other democratic countries.
Even a member of Tony Blair's cabinet and member of the House did not hold a different view on the amendment of the Nigerian constitution.
He went on to praise Obasanjo for keeping faith with his reform agenda. The official, however, said that he was convinced that Obasanjo would not act outside the agenda he had set for himself.
Also in a press statement in Abuja yesterday, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr. Niyi Ibietan, who was on the minister's entourage to the House session, said Lord Waverley observed that "the anti-corruption policies, the determination to resolve the lingering Niger Delta crisis, commitment to peace-keeping in West Africa and legion of peace initiatives under the United Nations, increased transparency in the conduct of government business as well as the willingness to work with the international community, demonstrate that the Nigerian government is on the right path."
He added that Obasanjo should be given credit for returning former Liberian President Charles Taylor to the UN Criminal Court in Sierra Leone for prosecution.
Ibietan said that the Bishop of Coventry, who said he had great affection and respect for the people of Nigeria, corroborated the comments of other Lords on the successes that had been recorded in Nigeria since the return of democratic rule.
Lord Chidgey, in his contribution to the debate pivoted on corruption and economic development, said between 1960 and 1999, Nigerian former leaders stole or mismanaged an estimated 220 billion pounds and called on the British government to support Obasanjo's anti-corruption policies.
According to the United Kingdom (UK) Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lord Triesman, "speculation is rife in Nigeria about whether the President intends to change the constitution to enable him to stand for a third term. I accept that tensions are running high." But he added that the decisions are for Nigerians alone to take without the participation of "bystanders."
The main concern is about the controversial third term plot, said Lord Chidgey. He had raised the issue during the traditional question and answer session of the House of Lords leading to an official response from the British government. A British minister said that although third term speculation was rife, President Obasanjo "was elected on a mandate of reforms for Nigeria and that he has kept to his agenda."
Chidgey, a Liberal Democrat, observed that there is now a "strong opposition against changes to the constitution in Nigeria. The opposition ranges from Christian leaders in the North urging the President not to seek a third term, to militants in the Niger Delta in the South threatening to engage the Federal Government in guerrilla warfare if he does not desist."
The U.S.-based Nigerian Democratic Movement (NDM) had petitioned four members of the British upper house including Viscount Waverley, an open member of the House, Chidgey, Triesman, the Labour Minister and Lord Howell of Guildford, a Conservative member of the House of Lords.
In the petition signed by NDM President, Prof. Mobolaji Aluko of Maryland, U.S., the Nigerians abroad want the House of Lords to "demand from HMG (His Majesty's Government) its reaction in particular to the Nigerian President's recent move (officially announced on April 13, 2006) to get the National Assembly to extend his stay in power beyond 2007."
The NDM said: "We remind you that the present 1999 Nigerian Constitution stipulates that an executive may stay in power for no longer than two four-year times, which expires for President Obasanjo and a few other executives (state governors) on May 29, 2007 (Term 1: 1999-2003; Term 2: 2003-2007). Now President Obasanjo's government and the ruling party are stampeding the National Assembly via threats and subterfuges to amend the constitution to enable three four-year terms, and to start its application right away, with implications of either one additional four-year term or, as most people suspect, 12 additional years for the current executives."
Opening the debate, Chidgey, who is also the Defence spokesman for his party in the House of Lords, conceded that the subject is a delicate one. Said he: "I turn to the issue of the forthcoming presidential elections and moves to amend the constitution to remove the bar on the president standing for a third term. It is right to say that we should approach this issue somewhat delicately. After all, who are we to tell other democratic countries how to run their affairs?"
But Chidgey went on to state that the third term issue had generated some heat in the Nigerian polity.
His words: "Some of your Lordships will be aware of the heat that this has generated in many quarters and will no doubt have received only today a communication from a group calling itself the Nigerian Democratic Movement, based in Maryland, USA."
Chidgey added that "the NDM is expressing fears that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in fact, seeking not one additional four-year term for Mr. Obasanjo, but an additional 12 years, "presidency for life in all but name."
According to him, the NDM has supplied a raft of excerpts from across the range of Nigerian professionals and civil society groups "vehemently opposing" the third term moves.
Relying on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reports, the lawmaker said that the British media "over the past few months confirms strong opposition against changes to the constitution in Nigeria. The opposition ranges from Christian leaders in the North urging the President not to seek a third term, to militants in the Niger Delta in the South threatening to engage the Federal Government in guerrilla warfare if he does not desist."
He, therefore, concluded by noting the UK government's previous support for Obasanjo and his professed belief in good governance, the rule of law and democratic accountability, hoping that to have "from the minister a detailed account of the government's reaction to what many will see as a series of unsettling and, to say the least, challenging developments."
Other Lords that spoke on the matter included Waverly, Howell and the government's minister, Triesman.
Triesman also conceded that indeed "speculation is rife in Nigeria about whether the president intends to change the constitution to enable him to stand for a third term. I accept that tensions are running high. The noble Lord, Lord Chidgey, described the issues as generating heat."
The government spokesman at the House of Lords told his colleagues that "the National Assembly is expected to vote later in April on the proposed constitutional amendments. These include a proposal to allow a further four-year term for the president and state governors, but also, importantly, withdrawing of the current immunity from prosecution for serving governors and increasing the percentage of oil revenues that go to the producing states from 13 to 18 per cent."
He said debate about such issues "is an important part of strengthening the democratic process."
The minister said: "The decisions on constitutional amendments are for Nigeria alone. The United Kingdom, the United States or other interested bystanders would have no standing to intervene."
Apparently convinced that Obasanjo would not seek a third term, Triesman noted that the Nigerian leader "has said publicly on a number of occasions that he will not act unconstitutionally."
He continued: "We, together with the rest of the international community, including the United States have welcomed that assurance. We know that he fully understands the importance of maintaining peace, stability and reform for the future of Nigeria, as well as the importance of sustaining reform and his own legacy. We are confident that his decisions will reflect this understanding."
Triesman went on to shower praises on Obasanjo.
"Having had the privilege of meeting him on a number of occasions, I would say by way of a general description of him that he was elected on a mandate of reforms for Nigeria and that he has kept to his agenda. He has pushed forward economic reform. He has agreed a major debt relief package and has acted decisively to tackle corruption and financial crime, arresting key figures such as the governor of Bayelsa State and sacking corrupt ministers. He is an international leader in promoting the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Politically and economically, Nigeria plays a leading and positive role throughout Africa, and the president has helped reduce tension and conflict," he said.
The minister was not done: "During his presidency, Nigeria has become a leading contributor to peace-keeping operations through the United Nations and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and it provides peace-keepers to Darfur in Sudan. In 2005, as president of the African Union (AU), he intervened in Togo following a coup d' tat and successfully negotiated a return to democracy. Also through the AU, he has been trying to engage with Zimbabwe over the growing crisis there," he stated.
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