By: Alabi Caleb Olatunji
One of the tripods of democracy all over the globe is the legislative arm, which has to be built on a solid structure for the entrenchment of democracy and good governance, while it works in consonance with the other two legs of the Executive and the Judiciary. Nigerian democracy has thrived in this Republic for more than 20 years counting; the longest no doubt but certainly has faced a series of challenges, not limited to an arm but all three arms.
The most daunting challenge of our legislative arm saddled with the fundamental responsibility to make laws is the challenges of leadership, which if addressed, there exists that smooth working relationship with the executive arm, the problem for the executive to achieve her goals and objectives usually becomes reduced to the minimal.
We have had successive leadership at both hallowed chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives, with each regime facing different dimensional challenges and one must admit that as we advance in our democracy, the challenges have also been put in check with emerging leadership.
It is, therefore, as the period to select another leadership beckons with the successful conduct of all general elections which has just produced for the nation another President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, from the Yoruba extraction, various surreptitious moves have begun underground from various quarters on who mounts the saddle at both chambers. While grapevine source has it that the leadership of the Red Chamber may have been zoned by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) hierarchy to the South-East, that of the Green Chamber, the House of Representatives, will invariably be coming from the Northern geo-political zone.
The position of the APC may not be farfetched from the fact that the much complained religious imbalance from the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidency has to be weighed with a Christian Senate President, which if zoned to the Northern Muslim-predominated region may not be easily achieved. Thus, having a Yoruba man as the President has placed Yoruba ethnic nationality with the option of Deputy Speaker position and moves may have begun from re-elected House of Reps members from Oyo, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states, knowing that Osun had produced all her Reps-elect members from the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), while Lagos State from where the President comes is not privileged.
Going down memory lane, it will be of note that Rt. Hon Lasun Yusuf from Osun State served as the Deputy Speaker from 2015 to 2019 with Rt. Hon Dogara, a Northerner from Bauchi State, the last time a Yoruba man was privileged to occupy one of the exalted positions at the Green Chamber. While more than one candidate may have signified intention for the elusive job from the South-West states, it is no more news that a particular candidate has come to the open, through different support groups making statements for his support.
Hon Akinremi Olaide Babalola, known and addressed as “Jagaban” in Oyo State politics is a returning House of Reps member from Ibadan-North Federal Constituency, who may be top-notch for the plum job. Very recently, a socio-political group, Movement for Democratic Consolidation (MDC), has taken to both print and electronic media canvassing support for Akinremi’s emergence as the Deputy Speaker. Similarly, just at the beginning of the week, another group under the aegis of Northern Professionals has also joined the fray enlisting support for the returning legislator’s choice.
As espoused by the National Coordinator, Hon Olusegun Olaleye (Radical Brother), a two-term state Assembly member from Oyo State, Hon Akinremi is described as the perfect choice to fit the position because of his ability to ensure the stability of the House with whoever emerges the Speaker. The period of 2019 till now has shown Hon Musiliu Akinremi to possess the intrinsic qualities of leadership that made him build a strong network of friends across all ethnic tribes, religions and other primordial sentiments.
“Jagaban of Oyo State politics,” Hon Olaide Akinremi, has been described as a detribalized politician, which will make other colleagues from other geopolitical zones comfortable with his choice alongside the Speaker. Though, a Muslim by religion, Akinremi has also been said to be someone who is never known to be a bigot and without being told, you can hardly by appearance know his faith, another inherent quality said to have built for him lots of admirers from other religion across the nation.
The roles he played during the presidential electioneering period was what beamed the sobriquet “Jagaban” as one of the core loyalists of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT). In terms of physical presence, logistics and strong financial contributions, Akinremi played a strongly dominant role beyond his Ibadan-North LG and Oyo State as a whole to other South-West states in a most commendable manner. A strong advocate of the Tinubu school of politics, Hon Akinremi shares so many qualities of leadership emulated from his leader and this has endeared him to the hearts of many of his colleagues, who have shown a preference for his choice in the political equation.
Of course, with his pyrrhic victory as he was reelected, one may not easily controvert his much-touted impressive performance in all areas of assessment, based on the bills and motions he sponsored, various empowerment programmes executed and projects attracted to numerous places, all pointing to a man versatile with the demands of being a federal legislator to catalyze with the leadership his other colleagues in achieving the demands of that office in their various constituencies.
Though the contest for the coveted seat may not be restricted to Hon Akinremi alone as information has it that Hon Bamisile Bamidele from Ekiti State, and another Returning Reps member from Ondo State, pushing Ondo agenda may have adopted underground moves against Hon Akinremi, who has taken the bull by the horn, the race for who occupies the nation’s number 8th position is still open till the particular day of the 10th NASS’ inauguration.
Some political pundits x-rayed why the choice to have a man from Ibadan extraction may be an added advantage for the Federal Government-led APC, which is that Oyo State stands at an advantage being a PDP-controlled state which needs such a rated position to hold the party in opposition ahead of next round of elections in 2027. Also in Oyo State, Hon Akeem Adeyemi (Skimeh) may be spoiling for the same position.
One of the just elected South-West Reps members interviewed has lent his support to the move, the lawmaker from Ogun State described Akinremi as a man who will advance the interest of not only the South-West lawmakers, but all other colleagues, and for this, some of his colleagues may have reposed their confidence in his choice for the Deputy Speakership slot.
• Olatunji, a public affairs analyst, writes from Ibadan in Oyo State
