Letter To Senator David Mark: Is Either You For The People Or Against Them

By Ogundana Michael Rotimi

The Senate President Sir,

All due respect to your highly elevated position; the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Sir, it is with great sense of disappointment that I write you this letter. Like many others, you are among the few elder state men that I regard and respect so much in the country, not only because on your wealth of experience in leadership and politics, but also due to your manner of calmness and maturity.

However, Sir, for some time now, I`ve been highly disappointed by some of your actions and inactions, most especially those related to the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians

As you know Sir, the sole role of the legislative arm of government is much more than making law, changing and repealing it. Rather, it also involves all activities intended to shape up the executive, to correct them when they make mistakes and to call them to order when they going astray.

But in the past few years Sir, you have not been giving strong corrective measures to the presidency for some of his actions and inactions as supposed. You have been trying to play neutral politics in most affairs that are germane to the nation`s interest. It appears to me that the fear to lose your seat as the Senate president is the key reason for this attitude of yours.

Unfortunately, the truth is, you cannot be for the masses and at the same time be against them. It is either you are for them or you are against them. Also, it is better you lose your seat as the Senate president and be remembered for always defending the nation`s interest than being there and be irrelevant.

The last invasion of the National Assembly (NASS) by members of the police force in Abuja happened under your watch. Although, you truly might not know about the whole scenario and you might not be pre-informed about the incidence. However, nothing should have stopped you from publicly condemning in strongly terms, I mean in strong terms, the actions of the police officers involved, and not just to sympathise with Honourable Tambuwal for the humiliation.

Now I know you must be very embarrassed by the recent testimony of a divisional police officer- Idachaba James, attached to the National Assembly, who testified at the Ad-hoc committee investigating the incident, headed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi. In his testimony he revealed that it was not the Police Officers from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that tear-gassed the speaker and other members of the House of Representatives, but rather your security details.

Sir, the truth is, you actually brought the embarrassment on yourself. That is one of the things that happen to people that like to sit on the fence and trying to please everybody.

Like you already know, much is expected of you as an elder state man and the least you can give to do the people is to always stand to protect the national interest first.

It is not how long you are present in NASS that matters or how long you serve as Senate President that is important but it is how much positive impact that your presence and positions contributes to the development of the society that would be commended.

Sir, I hope you would yield to this cautious note and stop this neutrality game of yours. The masses need you on their sides not the cabals.

Thank you for your time.

Yours faithfully,

________________________

Article written by Ogundana Michael Rotimi

I tweet @MickeySunny

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