Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, said at the ninth edition of the Akinjide Adeosun Foundation’s Annual Leadership Discourse, themed “Fearless Leadership: A Panacea for Sustainable Development,” held in Lagos, Thursday, that President Bola Tinubu’s constitutional violation was made possible by the National Assembly’s weakness. He also denounced the suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and state assembly lawmakers. “Do you agree that there is nothing like courageous leadership and nothing like fearless leadership?” he said. Do Nigerians need a brave leader who understands how the system operates? All you have to do is press the button to get the answer. Only after a leadership attempt fails do you start to consider who the brave leader is. Fearless leadership is not one of the various kinds of leadership qualities. The trait of an all-knowing boss is known as authoritarianism. These leaders want you to follow their instructions without consulting you. “There are two types of followership: brave and submissive. Does Nigeria fit in here in terms of followership docility? Does this resonate? Indeed. Good governance is about constitutionality and the rule of law. The idea of the separation of powers is also at issue. Arbitrariness in governance is fostered by a lack of sound governance and the rule of law. Here, arbitrariness refers to the disregard for fundamental legal norms.
For a governor or a president, who subscribes to such a concept, it is what he or she does that is law. It is not what is in the book that is the law. There is also the non-observance of the basic principles of law. This is where government is not by law, but by the whims and caprices of an individual leader, like the current pronouncement of an illegal and unconstitutional state of emergency in Rivers State, aided by weak institutions like the National Assembly, which is very weak.”
The former governor also urged Nigerians to be proactive in reacting to poor governance, saying docility was an enabler of bad leadership.
“What is even more alarming is that the breach in the situation is not even about the law. The president didn’t break any law. He broke the Constitution. Now, this breach of the Constitution is a breach of the sacredness and sanctity of the Constitution.
“The constitution of a country is the Bible of that country. And its sanctity must be protected. Can we say the same in Nigeria? Obviously, the response would be a resounding no. The president looked at the whole of Nigeria and removed an elected governor in Rivers State and appointed a military man, yet the country continued. Nothing happened.”
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