The Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Hon. Abubakar Suleiman, has come in for heavy criticism after he made a post on his Facebook page where he alluded that the state governor, Bala Mohammed is his godfather and that under his leadership, the House will do anything the governor says.
Suleiman got into trouble when he took to his verified Facebook page to post a picture of Governor Mohammed along words that expressed his unalloyed loyalty and total submission to the governor.
Writing in the Hausa language, Suleiman had said:
“This is my godfather, my leader and my direction. Whatever you say, that’s what we would do alongside my supporters. God willing.”
However, majority of comment to the post accused Suleiman of openly bootlicking Governor Mohammed in the Facebook post with some saying he should resign from his position as the Assembly would never be independent under him.
Also joining in the barrage of criticism was the Acting National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Comrade Muhammed Ishaq, who described Suleiman’s loyalty to Mohammed as the acts of a subservient individual and a slap on the faces of the people of the state.
In a statement on Saturday, Ishaq said:
“The Bauchi State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker Abubakar Y. Suleiman, has just suffered a monumental blow to the principles of separation of power and the sanctity of the legislative process.
“In a brazen display of executive dominance, the Speaker has publicly, via his verified Facebook account, posted a photo of Governor Bala Muhammad Abdulqadir with the caption “This is my Godfather, my guide and my direction. We will do what you say” with me and my supporters, God willing.
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“By stating that he and his supporters will “do what (the Governor) says,” the Speaker has essentially surrendered his role as a check on the executive’s powers.
“This is a clear breach of the principle of checks and balances, which is designed to prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful.
“The Speaker’s words are an explicit admission that he has abandoned his duty to scrutinize and hold the executive accountable for its actions.
“Furthermore, the Speaker’s actions are a slap in the face to the people of Bauchi State, who have entrusted him with the responsibility of representing their interests in the legislative arm.
“By making it clear that he is beholden to the Governor, the Speaker has shown that he is more interested in advancing his own political interests than in serving the public good.
“This sort of behavior is not only unacceptable but also sets a dangerous precedent for future governance in Bauchi State. It suggests that the Speaker is willing to sacrifice the integrity of the legislative arm for personal gain or political favor.
“This is a recipe for disaster and undermines the very foundations of our democratic system.
“In synopsis, we condemn the Speaker’s actions and call on him to apologize for his egregious display of detestable subservience and detrimental partisanship.
“We also urge him to recommit himself to his duties as a representative of the people and to uphold the principles of separation of power and checks and balances. Anything less would be a betrayal of the public trust and a threat to the integrity of our democracy.”
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