CROSS RIVER HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY: Gov. Ben Ayade’s Rubber-Stamp Institution Or John Gaul’s?

By Joseph Odok| 20 July 2015| 5:22am

Early democratic thought cautioned that the accumulation of of the executive, legislative and judicial powers in one hand (whether of individuals or institutions, majority or minority) would lead to tyranny regardless of how government is constituted or resolved.

In this regard, Montesquieu wrote of the need to build internal restraint or checks and balance in liberal forms of government in ways power of government would be separated and balanced. The endemic culture of executive dominance in Cross River State one party system betrays this theoretical assumption though well factored into the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Again, the endemic culture of executive dominance in Cross River State one party system has made the legislature weak and vulnerable.

This culture manifested itself in the most arrogant way in the Liyel Imoke led PDP and is raising it's ugly head even in a stronger way in the government Prof. Senator Benedict Ayade especially in the conception, and propaganda surrounding his signature projects.

It is worthy of note that Liyel Imoke openly rigged elections and imposed candidates: so much so that Cross River State House of Assembly is 100% PDP. It is a worrisome situation were the political land scape in Cross River State produces a strong executive that undermines the autonomy of the legislative institutions. The legislature are merely  appendages of the executive and at best rubber stamped institution for executive manipulation.

The power interplay skewed against the legislature hinders the institutionalization of democracy that manifestly undermines the growth of democracy in Cross River State. The vulnerability, weakness and limited capacity of Cross River State legislature has made public accountability, transparency and probity dismal and limited in scope in ways that participation,  accountability, equity and justice, that are the hallmark of democracy, are a mere mirage in Cross River State.

This has led to the personalization of state funds by the executive to the inglorious extent of using state funds to fund personal projects. The legislature being tools in the executive prerogative, aid the executive to personalised state funded projects by baptizing such projects with the acronym of public /private partnership (PPP). One wonders why the Liyel Imoke led PDP left Cross River State with a debt burden of over 400billion naira as liability yet no asset seems to accrue from the investment of such amount.

Like his predecessors, Ayade has initiated his signature projects, which includes the construction of a seaport of about 1.2 kilometers steel walls and the excavation corridor and a supper high way of about 240 kilometers, in a self-independent way without consultation  with the legislature or relevant stakeholders.

Sure of the weakness of the legislature Ayade in his Thisday article of the 12th July avers as reported by the paper thus:
"the state house of assembly which is peopled entirely by members PDP share his (Ayade's ) vision and passion for the signature project. So, hopefully, the government would have no difficulty pushing the relevant bills in support of the projects through the legislature". Nothing more derogatory can be said of a constitutionally independent institution like the legislature as so painted by the state governor. The above comments to tell the world that the state legislature is in the governor's pocket.

It is worthy of note that the approach of his Excellency Prof Benedict Ayade to his signature projects shows self-independence in terms of making economic and political decisions that are supposed to involve other tiers of government like the legislature or best brains. How could the governor singlehandedly take an economic decision of touring the continents of Asians countries, all in a bid to seek for foreign investors for elephant projects like the seaport and super dual Highway without approval of the legislature and  suggestions from best  brains only to be latter rectified by a rubber stamped legislature? How do one conceive of the governor independently signing a document for his signature projects in Germany with no other witness or legal expert to understudy the terms and conditions of the contract? 

For a house to give assent to these abnormalities is a clear definition of the policy direction of the state governor as a sole administrator of the state. How could the state governor conceive the establishment of a garment factory to the point of 100% completion with all equipment made available (as so claimed by him in same article) without the involvement of the legislature only to be rectified by the a legislature that ought to have frowned at such a neglect?