The Rt. Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka, the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, is one of the couple of legislators who were not only reelected at the 2003 general polls but also retained their positions as the Speaker. He has enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the Chief Executive of the state, controversial Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, and thus set people speculating that he could be Governor Kalu’s “yes man”. In this interview with OCHEREOME NNANNA in his office in Umuahia, Ohajuruka, who is also the Chairman of the South East Conference of Speakers, addresses this and other burning issues of Abia State and national interest.
I would like to know the secret behind the smooth working relationship between Abia Legislature and Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, which made it possible for you to emerge as one of a few two-term Speakers in the entire legislature of the current republic?
Thank you. The secret behind it is understanding. The two having the full grasp of knowing what it takes to work in harmony. When the executive understands the importance of separation of powers and gets the other arms of government to work with it, that it when each of the arms will attain the objective they have set for themselves in delivering the dividends of democracy. The secret, therefore, is that we do understand the principles, and therefore, we have been working in close liaison with each other without compromising the role of each arm of government in a healthy democracy.
Often, when the working relationship becomes too smooth people get the idea that the legislature has opted to be the executive’s rubberstamp. Would you say the Abia House of Assembly is Governor Kalu’s rubberstamp?
The Abia Legislature is not actually a rubberstamp for Governor Orji Uzor Kalu. Governor Kalu has been in the legislature before. He has been a member of the Federal House of Representatives. I think that also helped him to understand the full functions of the legislature. He does not, in any way, interfere with the legislature here. We’ve had cause to disagree with the governor, especially in the case of the Chief Judge of the state. We wanted to remove the Chief Judge. It was not an issue that received the support of the governor, but we went ahead to do it. There are other issues where the Abia Legislature asserted its legislative authority and this did not in any way bring about loss of trust or confidence between the governor and the legislature. Whenever such issues arise they always provide the opportunity for differences to be amicably resolved.
Can you tell Nigerians exactly what led to your move to remove the Chief Judge. Would that not appear to be a ploy to compromise the authority of the Judiciary?
The legislative arm is vested with certain responsibilities, and these include the powers to investigate the conduct of public officials within its legislative jurisdiction. It also includes the office of the Chief Judge and other principal officers of the state. To that extent, therefore, the House did not, in any way, infringe on the judicial powers of that arm of government. Everything was done in conformity with the powers conferred by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The House of Assembly here will in no way even contemplate infringing on the powers of the Judiciary or any other arm of government. The Judiciary is a very paramount tool for the advancement of democracy, in that every action taken under the constitution has an opportunity of being subjected to the interpretation of the judicial arm. Once every arm submits to this rule there will be no need for these fortuitous acrimonies.
Let us address the issue of the impeachment against the deputy governor of Abia State. What actually led to the Abia legislature’s move to remove the deputy governor? What did he do?
As you are aware, the issue concerning the deputy governor is currently before a Judicial Panel. the deputy governor is answering to the allegations levelled against him by the Honourable Members of the Assembly. I think it will be sub-judice and prejudicial for me to comment on that issue, even though I would really have loved to give you the full details of what actually transpired. I am constrained by the situation right now, because any comment made by me right now may be interpreted as interfering with the functions of the panel. But, I can discuss that freely after the process is over.
Some people are saying that the impeachment is being carried out because of the rift between the governor and his deputy, and that the legislature is dancing to the tune of the executive?
That is wrong. As you are aware, the governor has pleaded with the House to drop the move, and that there is really no rift between him and his deputy. You are also aware that our Party, the People’s Democratic Party, has also intervened. To that extent, I will say there is no personal rift. If there was a rift the governor would not have pleaded on behalf of the deputy governor. You will also agree with me that the issue on ground is a constitutional one. It is not one that borders on the interest or desires of one man. I do not want to live under the impression that any time the governor wants something then it must be so, whether it is constitutional or not. Try and help us to explain to the people that as far as we are concerned the governor’s words are not law. What is the law is the Constitution of the Republic of Nigeria. It is possible, even in a constitutional process such as the impeachment of a public officer, to see what can be done to solve the problem politically in the light of appeals by well-meaning people in the society.
You’ve been summoned by the national secretariat of the party in Abuja. Would you say that the party has been trying to arm-twist members of the Abia Legislature to drop the issue, being that the Abia Legislature is entirely PDP. Do you think you are being forced to drop the impeachment by the party?
Not quite. I think the party has actually done what it is supposed to do as a political party. Our great party is one big family.
There is no father that will like to sit and watch the children fight each other top finish. There comes a time when the father intervenes to settle the disagreement. But that does not mean that there will not be quarrels among the children. So, at the end of the day, what matters is how the disagreement is solved. The appeals by the party are welcome. But I will also make haste to say that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is supreme, and everybody, all the institutions that make up a polity, all the institutions of democracy should submit themselves to the letters of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Every action should be geared towards upholding the sanctity of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and not assuaging the interests of individuals. Man is naturally inclined to always want to be in control and to hold all the advantages, but these must be moderated by the rules set out in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We must remain mindful of the need to avoid violating the constitution of this country, just because we feel we have the support of the governor, we have the support of the party, or we have the support of certain individuals within the polity. Believe you me, we have absolute confidence in the trusteeship of the party. What is actually happening is not to disparage the person of Chief Tony Anenih. What we are doing will even exonerate him because we know that he was embarrassed by the actions of the deputy governor of Abia State. The governor of the state was also embarrassed by action of the deputy governor. And we, Abians, were also embarrassed. The action we are taking is only meant to put the matter in its proper constitutional perspective, and not to disparage any individual.
The Federal Government has taken many steps, which appear to undermine the legislative authority of state Houses of Assembly. This concerns, especially, the stoppage of funding to states where elections were conducted into local councils that were created by the state legislatures. How do you see this?
In order to prevent the re-occurrence of this in the future, I think the issue should be tabled before the Supreme Court for proper judicial interpretation, so that we can determine whether it is proper to withhold funds for local councils, or whether it is proper for states to create local councils and for those councils to operate as autonomous local government councils. It is when we have gone through the judicial interpretation that we can say whether one action is right or wrong. The President may have his opinion and the governors may have theirs. You can only know which opinion is right by going to the Supreme Court. These are the actions that will foster a much more enduring democratic culture. So, it is my fervent recommendation that we should subject this thing to judicial interpretation.
But if you ask me my personal opinion as to whether states have the right to create local government councils, I will say yes. I also believe that when these councils are created it is only procedural, a matter of procedure, an administrative procedure, for the National Assembly to admit them as authentic local councils. I don’t believe that the National Assembly has any role in the creation of local councils under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Their job is to take measures to list the newly created local councils in the constitution. The National Assembly does not amend the constitution everyday. Do we now have to wait for another hundred years before the National Assembly amends the constitution to document the councils? To me, that is a hullabaloo. But, unfortunately, every legal action one takes against the Federal Government is seen as heating up the polity. Instead of them being seen as acts taken to hasten the growth of democracy and the rule of law they are said to heat up the polity. Little though is spared to the very action that is necessitating the democratic court action. Nobody is curious to know whether the Federal Executive’s action of stopping the statutory allocation of funds to other tiers of government without constitutional backing constitutes a heating up of the polity!
The Committee of South East Speakers, of which you are the Chairman, has been championing the cause of Nigeria’s next president being chosen from the South East zone. What are you specifically going to do to actualise this agitation?
During the last meeting of the Speakers of the South East we arrived at very far-reaching decisions on the issue. We support that the next president of Nigeria should come from the South East. Nigeria was built on a tripod - the North, the East and West. If you look at our history, the president has always been either from the north or the east. We are asking that the Igbo should be given the opportunity to occupy the highest office in the land. That will go a long way to removing all the vestiges of marginalisation, all the trauma that still exist in the system as a result of the civil war and finally cement the unity of Nigeria for all time. It will bring about total reconciliation and put Nigeria finally on the path to sustainable economic and political advancement, as well as help us to evolve a truly Nigerian nation of which all Nigerians will be proud. If the government can have enough political will to allow a person like Professor Charles Soludo to take over the Central Bank at this juncture of our economic reform, why can’t we extend it to the political arena? They are all the same thing - reforms - reforming Nigeria for the better.
This can only be done when all the zones of Nigeria decide that this is our chance to break with the ugly past and move the nation forward. In 1999, there was this general magnanimous mood that the next president should come from the South West, and all the major political parties produced presidential candidates of Yoruba extraction. So, we are saying that this should be done, this time with the South East or Igbo being the target of it. And the same thing should also be extended to the South South and other zones of the country.
However, it was reported in some dailies that the Conference of South East Legislators adopted somebody to vie on behalf of the Igbo. I want to put on record that Conference did not, at any time, make any decision of that nature. We believe that the decision will have to be made by all major stakeholders in Igboland and indeed Nigeria, because no candidate will make it unless he has the support of other Nigerians.
But people are asking, where are the Igbo candidates? There are, at least three known candidates from the North in the ruling PDP alone so far. Where are the Igbo candidates?
The president may not emerge out of those three northern candidates. In fact, their alleged candidacy is still speculative. I can assure you that the Igbo have a lot of eminently qualified candidates and credible people who will be acceptable to Nigerians and who will steer the ship of our country to greatness. When it was time to look for Nigeria’s president in 1998, nobody knew it was going to be General Olusegun Obasanjo. Even he himself did not know until it was clarified to him how he could become the president of Nigeria through the polls.
But that was a military operation?
Not just a military operation. He was found to be the most suitable person to take over the leadership of Nigeria at that time given the hot indices on ground. You don’t have to start too early, jumping the gun and distracting the recently reelected regime of President Obasanjo and given no breathing space to reelected officer to deliver on their mandates. Nigerians have not spoken. When this country speaks you will hear.
Is it true that you are positioning to run for governor in 2007 to replace your friend, Orji Uzor Kalu.
I am not ambitious!
