Robert Clarke, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has been in active practice for over 40 years. In this interview with Senior Correspondent, ONYEWUCHI OJINNAKA, he speaks on the take-over of Kogi State House of Assembly by House of Representatives, the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in recent elections, President Muhammadu Buhari’s one year in office, among other issues.
The House of Representatives recently took over the Kogi State House of Assembly due to leadership crisis among the members. What is your take on the issue?
Well, that is an area I do not want to offer an opinion because despite what has been happening in that state, I was reading in a newspaper, recently, that a group of five minority members of the House were still being led into the chambers by armed soldiers. That situation is becoming abnormal, as I know. I do not want to comment more on it because I do not feel it is proper for soldiers following five legislators to go and assume proceedings in the hallowed chambers of the legislature. My comment will stop at that.
How would you assess President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, after one year in the saddle?
Let me borrow what Professor Wole Soyinka said, that he is not saying the administration has done wonderfully well. He said, and I accept his statement, that with the huge amount of rubbish left for the President, he is trying. I will also agree that the present administration came in at a time this country was at its lowest turn. Lowest in moral, lowest in monetary output. They are trying their best; let us give them time. In another year, if you come to me, I will be able to give you answer.
If you are asked a closed-ended question, to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’; what will be your response?
You are asking for an answer to a human problem; it cannot be yes or no. Anybody who does that must have some problem because there are many aspects of a problem. You have to look at all the aspects of governance. We have no electricity, why? Is it because government is not trying? It is because of sabotage. We have no petrol; is it because of this government? It is because of sabotage. So, when you look at all the scenario playing out, it is difficult to say yes or no.
Under this administration, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has conducted quite a number of “inconclusive” elections. Do you see the umpire conducting free and fair elections in 2019?
Let me say this; it is a shame to us in Nigeria. I had visited Ghana when they were holding general elections; you would not believe that elections were being held, and no policemen on the street. I had gone to Benin Republic when they were holding presidential elections; you would not even know that people were voting. Nigeria has a history of electoral violence because politicians are not here to look after your interest; they are here to look after their pockets. That is why you find young lawyers, young doctors abandoning their profession to go into politics because, there, people are stealing money and therefore it is a do-or-die battle. So you cannot blame the electoral commission for anything. We have to blame ourselves first. Why can’t we conduct a peaceful election when our neighbours in Ghana, Benin Republic and other African countries are conducting elections? There is no killing, no rigging and no security agencies on their streets. The fault is in us, not in INEC.
When INEC wants to conduct elections and you have to find soldiers to accompany it, then something is mad with Nigeria because this is a civil act. But, because of the propensity of stealing by the politicians, it is a do-or-die matter in Nigeria. It is unfortunate and we have to think now within ourselves: Should we continue with this violence and killing?
When we stop that, then we can now admonish INEC. They can do it if you and I allow them to do it.