HE Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha and HE Rt Hon Aminu Tambuwal have made history in Nigeria. They are first in many aspects in the history of Nigeria. They are the first Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Federal House of Representatives to occupy the Governorship seats of their different states at same time. They are also the first Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip of 6th Assembly to be elected into the principal position of the National Assembly in reverse order as Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the 7th Assembly.
HE Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha and HE Rt Hon Aminu Tambuwal are the first Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly to leave office without any allegation of corruption hanging on them. The duo are the first in the history of Nigeria politics to establish the independence of the Legislature when against the Executive recklessness and intent to control and deny Nigerians the principles of separation of power, they insisted that the Legislative arm of Government must elect their own leaders.
The duo are also the first leadership of National Assembly to ever call for a National Referendum, seeking for Local Governement Autonomy and that of State Houses of Assembly on Funding.They involved all Nigerians from the grassroots to the highest level. His Exellencies, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha and Rt Hon Aminu Tambuwal are trail blazers and the bridge needed for Nigeria to be really United irrespective of tribe, religion , social and cultural background. Their friendship and political alliance is built on trust and their word is their bond. Such rare leadership is only possible due to the honesty and transparency of each to the other.
The humility exhibited when Rt Hon Aminu Tambuwal was Deputy Chief Whip of the 6th Assembly to Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha then as the Chief Whip, was reciprocated when Tambuwal became Speaker and Ihedioha became his Deputy. Their confidence and loyalty to each other is based on ideology of transparency, service to mother land, compassion for the ordinary Nigerians, unity of purpose, patriotism of building a United Nigeria where people will not be judged like Martin Luther King Jr., said, by their tribe or religion but by the content of their character and desire to give to society a credible governance.
Today, these two heroes of Nigeria democracy, who supritended electoral reforms that gave Nigeria the freest and fairest election in Nigeria with a world class technology Card Reader in the year 2015 which was acclaimed by the whole world, are as it stands, governors of their respective states Imo State and Sokoto State. From the dysfunctional state of Imo made a victim by reckless, overbearing, magolomia, a state treated like a conquered territory by a Nebuchadnezzar like looter, a hypocrite personified, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha is set to turn the situation around by rebuilding the state and give its citizens reasons to still be proud of their Eastern Heartland. In far away Sokoto, Rt Hon Tambuwal whose re-election has confirmed the good works he has been doing, taking powers away from the hands of Pharoahs of Sokoto and giving it back to the people.
Tambuwal has not hidden his desire for infrastructural and administrative development as evident in his establishment of strong institutions of government in Sokoto State. At this time when Nigeria and Nigerians need leadership with character, a time when people who could not sustain the goodwill of Nigerians freely given in 2015 to APC and their Presidential Candidate, who in 2019 resorted to violence and brigandage to capture power at all cost, denying the right person mandate at the presidential level, there by turning the arms of our democratic progress backwards, the duo of Ihedioha and Tambuwal are being looked upon to show examples of what good governance is all about in their respective states.
The Local Government Autonomy they fought for during their leadership at the National Assembly should be put into practice in their respective states as a pilot project for other Governors to emulate. They are expected to have state legislature that are independent and with their competencies in that arm of government diplomatically work with them to achieve the best for their states. In Imo, I have no doubt that this is a new dawn. The collaboration and friendship of these two great Nigerians should be leveraged and encouraged for the future of a great and United Nigeria…..
Casca Ohanele, is a Journalist, political Analyst and commentator on International Affairs, wrote in from USA. +13027728543. casmir.tochiohanele@yahoo.co.uk