Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime owes the people a duty of adhering to provisions of the constitution as he jets out to seek medical treatment again.
Public officers have a duty to uphold the tenets of the constitution. At the inauguration of federal and state governments, the chief executives are made to swear to be scrupulously guided by the letters and spirit of the constitution. But, no sooner do they assume office than they engage in serial breach of the grundnorm.
In Enugu State, Governor Sullivan Chime has ignored provisions of section 190 of the constitution that bind him to hand over the reins of government to the deputy governor “whenever he is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office…”
The governor is mandated in such circumstances to transmit a letter to the Speaker of the state House of Assembly and, by that token, empower the deputy governor to assume all the powers of the governor as acting governor until he returns and transmits another letter to the House to report that he is fit and back to discharge such functions.
The office of governor under the 1999 constitution is highly regarded and invested with so much powers and duties. Apparently in realisation that it must be kept running at all times, the makers of the constitution insisted that anyone contesting election to the office must have a running mate who would assume office with him as deputy governor. Both are sworn in to jointly serve the people.
It is despicable that some governors flagrantly flout this unambiguous provision of the constitution by refusing to hand over to their deputies whenever they find themselves unable to discharge the functions of office, either on account of ill-health as is the case in Enugu, or when on annual vacation as is the case in other states.
It could be argued that Chime might not have known that he would need to be flown out of the country for treatment, and that the time was therefore too short to transmit the needed letter to the Speaker, however, the fact that the Secretary to the State Government has been performing functions otherwise reserved for the governor is an indication that the governor has returned to an all-too-familiar path. It does not matter what the relationship between the two men is at the moment.
The supreme law of the country leaves the governor no discretion in the matter. Unless and until a deputy governor is removed from office, he remains the number two citizen and is the alternate governor. He derives his powers, functions, duties and privileges from the people who elected him along with the governor, and the constitution.
While wishing the Enugu State governor speedy recovery, we remind him and others breaching the law that anyone who disregards the constitution has committed an impeachable offence, and call on the state House of Assembly to swing into action by insisting that the deputy governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, assumes office as acting governor as soon as it is clear that Governor Chime is unlikely to return to office within the period allowed by law.
Besides, the secrecy surrounding the health status of government officials is unhealthy. As of the time of this article, the governor or his staff has not issued a statement on his state of health. This kicks against transparency in office. When a man seeks votes, he becomes a public official and signs off much of his privacy. In other countries, bulletins are issued on the state of health of high officials who have to seek solutions to serious medical conditions.
In recent times, Mrs. Hilary Clinton, as the American Secretary of State, made known her medical status and followed up by announcing that she would be standing down at the end of President Barack Obama’s first term. Nigerian officials must learn to toe the lines of probity, accountability, due process and the Rule of Law at all times.
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