NBA Accuses Jonathan of Dumping Governance for Politics

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) yesterday accused the President Goodluck Jonathan of abandoning governance for politicking even when election was still several months away. In a communiqué issued at the end of its National Executive Council in Abuja, NBA said that even the transformation agenda of the President had been abandoned. The communiqué reads in part: "That the NBA is worried over the fact that despite several months to the 2015 general elections, governance has been reduced to the back seat and elected leaders have put a lot of governance issues on hold, calculating to see which step will increase their chances of electoral victory. "Consequently, NEC noted with great concern that governance is suffering a great deal, as little attention is paid to further transformation agenda of the federal government." The association therefore called on elected public officials to be big on good governance and leadership and invest less time, energy and resources in politics of 2015, at least until INEC officially lifts ban on campaign. The association also noted that Jonathan's transformation agenda was not impacting the justice and legal sector. It said that there was an urgent need to design an overarching legal architecture and framework that would underpin the transformation agenda, saying that the quality of political, economic and social regulations was as important as the legal institutions that enforced them. The NBA called on the Federal Government to include legal transformation in the transformation agenda, with a view to reversing legal failure. It also pointed out that impunity in executive lawlessness must give way to rule of law and order. It called on the Federal Government to consider adopting chapter 9 of the constitution of South Africa, entitled “Institutions Consolidating Democracy”, which allowed national institutions to be insulated from political interference. Before the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun are held, NBA called on the legislature to embark upon a speedy amendment of the constitution and the electoral law with a view to ensuring free and credible elections in Nigeria. "That INEC should expedite action in putting necessary structures, policies and plans in place as part of the preparations for the 2015 elections," the communiqué concluded.