Choosing People Over Politics

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, hasbeen
preaching this message for a while – service to the people should be
above partisan leanings. He has won few converts in his class.
The emphasis on party loyalty over service to the people who elected
them is at the centre of the growing contests among the peoples of
Nigeriaand their representatives. Politicians think they are divined
to be over Nigerians. They consider Nigerians irritants to be
reluctantly faced during elections.
In the House of Representatives, there have been glimpses of
possibilities of using politics to serve our peoples who have suffered
neglects over the years. Politicians see politics as the veritable
platform to place themselvesabove the people.
Our servant-leaders serve themselves;they disregard the dictates of
democratic governments. The hang over of military governments remains.
Tambuwal at the birthday celebration of Edo State Deputy Governor, Dr
Pius Odubu, said that concerns for the people were central to
decisions of the House of Representatives. Tambuwal appears at events
of oppositionpoliticians.
On June 1, Tambuwal incurred new anger in his Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, when he praised Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola during
the launching of the IT-based educational aid for secondary school
pupils. PDP thought he had no business eulogisingthe performance of an
opposition party member.
His response then was that he was Speaker of the House of
Representatives of Nigeria, and not just PDP.
Party politics for all its importance to growth of democracy, has
been a growing challenge, essentially as partyofficials hold
self-serving positions on issues. The parties are less democratic than
some authoritarian regimes. Nigerians' interests are distant
considerations for most of them.
"What concerns us as a House is the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The
moment you are elected a member, you are expected to serve and
represent that particular constituency irrespective of which platform
of the party you have contested the election and won.
Whatever we do in the House, we consider the federation of Nigeria as
a basis of our decision,"Tambuwal told the gathering which
personalities across political party lines attended.
Tambuwal's antecedents make him a supporter of broader platforms for
attaining national objectives. In June 2011, drawing from alliances in
the House, he upturned PDP's decision on the House.
The singular act has made him an anti-party man. He is often seen in
the company of more politicians from other parties, and his absence at
majorparty events casts him in opposition garbs.
It is convenient to see the messenger as a drowning politician seeking
relevance. The point remains that service to the people is the essence
of governance, our Constitution says so.