Agony of being a Deputy Governor in Nigeria: A Call for Constitutional Review

Uche Onwuchekwa

Since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999, bullying and humiliation of deputy governors by governors are far from over. It comes in different dimensions. If you are opinionated as deputy governor, then your days are numbered.

In 1999, Orji Uzor Kalu, the then governor of Abia State had a turbulent ride with his deputy, Enyinnaya Abaribe. That once blossoming relationship that got sour literally tore every strata of Abia polity apart.
Though the root cause was reportedly caused by some elites who felt that Kalu was a push over, Abaribe in quest to be number one fell for it and he paid dearly.

It was an epic battle where nothing and nothing at all was spared. Every political weapon was freely used. Blackmail became the most adorable tool. Once united house became irretrievably fragmented. Protests and counter protests took the center stage.

Of course, the House of Assembly became the last theatre of the political warfare. On March 14, ThisDay newspaper reported that Enyinnaya Abaribe was impeached by 18 votes to 6 over allegation of gross misconduct. ThisDay also reported that the impeachment came after one week Abaribe was reported to have resigned.

Though Abaribe as a Deputy Governor should not be following his alleged inordinate ambition to topple a man who was said to have picked him as running mate for playing no role.

It was after this horrible experience that Okija shrine became a place of refuge for those who wished to secure 100% loyalty from the deputies and other aides.

With this trend, to be considered as a running mate at the first instance requires visiting a shrine to swear to remain a slave to the governor. Whether the governor is a mere bumbler or past master in failure is of no consequence.

Among the records of the broken relationships between governors and their deputies, the latter have always been at the receiving end. The cause of this problem is not far-fetched. This is as result of disequilibrium in the constitution. This lacuna has continued to make deputy governors look mere ordinary when it ought not to be so.
If the spirit of the constitution considers the office of the deputy governor as that important to the extent that no governorship candidate can stand election without a deputy, then it is abnormal to still make such exalted office very vulnerable and inconsequential.
This can be found in Section 187(1) and subsection (2):
“187. (1) In any election to which the foregoing provisions of this part of this Chapter relate a candidate for the office of Governor of a State shall not be deemed to have been validly nominated for such office unless he nominates another candidate as his associate for his running for the office of Governor, who is to occupy the office of Deputy Governor; and that candidate shall be deemed to have been duly elected to the office of Deputy Governor if the candidate who nominated him is duly elected as Governor in accordance with the said provisions. (2) The provisions of this Part of this Chapter relating to qualification for election, tenure of office, disqualifications, declaration of assets and liabilities and Oath of Governor shall apply in relation to the office of Deputy Governor as if references to Governor were references to Deputy Governor.”

With the aforementioned sections in the constitution, it is obvious that the Office of the Deputy Governor was relegated ab-initio, thereby rendering the Office very highly susceptible and at the mercy of the Governor.

To worsen the pitiable condition of the Deputy Governors, there is no first line charge responsibilities allotted to deputy governors in the Nigerian constitution except the proviso in Chapter 6, Part 2, Section 193 of the Constitution where the responsibility of a deputy governor is hinged on the discretion of the governor. This is not the case at the Presidency because the Vice President’s first line charge vis-à-vis being in charge of the economy of the country as the Chairman of “National Economic Council.” Of course, Mr. President may have Economic Advisers but certainly will not infringe on this constitutional responsibility of the Vice President.

Because of inferiority complex and having settled comfortably in his sorry state, a certain former deputy Governor of Anambra State, Prince Chinedu Etiaba, speaking to The Sun, had stated that Deputy Governors do not need any specific constitutional roles in the governance of the State, thereby rendering them useless in the state of the affairs, including himself as the then deputy governor.

His words: ‘I think it is absolutely convenient for deputy governors to have no specific roles. The constitution defines the governor as the chief executive officer of the state, and if the deputy governors are assigned specific roles, they may exclude the governor from interfering in the role to which they have been assigned and the governor will no longer be the chief executive.

“Deputy governors should have their powers emanating from the cordial relationship between them and their bosses and the governors themselves should be broad-minded enough to take advice from their deputies. Anyone who wants to be a deputy should know it and I would not want that to change. It should remain as it is.”

Following Etiaba’s submission, it follows that Deputy Governors should at best be Governor’s domestic aides and possibly should be on part time. Until the governor thinks out an errand his brain can carry, he remains indolent and idle.

Etiaba who was patronizing his then boss was inadvertently saying that he had no business being in the office he occupied. He was nonetheless calling for the scrapping of the Office of the Deputy Governor.
In reality, those Deputy Governors who have tried to add value to governance have paid dearly for it. In some cases they are either impeached or relegated to the background, starved of their statutory earnings and may even be chased out of their official quarters.
It is rather a waste of resources creating the Office of the Deputy Governor if the occupier of the Office are literally rendered ineffective by the Constitution of Nigeria.

Apart from the establishment of National Boundary Commission 2006, ACT No. 12:
PART IV-ESTABLISHMENT AND FUNCTIONS OF THE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOUNDARY COMMITTEES 12.-(1) There shall be established by each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja a Boundary Committee. (2) A State Boundary Committee shall consist of- (a) the Deputy Governor of the State, who shall be the Chairman;…
It is bunkum to say that a Deputy Governor is simply an aide of the Governor by defining his existence at the discretion of the Governor. Those that authored that section of our constitution did a great disservice to the country.

Otherwise, in the United States that practices the same Presidential System of Government, the Lieutenant Governor has his responsibilities adequately defined by the Constitution. While the Governor remains the Chief Executive, his roles are perfectly defined by the Constitution.
Using the State of Missouri as a case study, below are responsibilities of the Lieutenant Governor:
“Constitutional:
1. Preside as President over the Senate, voting in the event of a tie vote.
2. Preside as Governor when the Governor is absent from the state or disabled.
3. Upon the death, conviction, impeachment or resignation of the Governor, the Lt. Governor shall become governor for the remainder of the term.”

The above shows that the Lieutenant (Deputy) Governor is effectively positioned to put the Governor in check by the first (1) responsibility since he presides over the Legislative arm of the State.
Other statutory functions are defined. Truly, the Governor appoints him in most of the Commissions and Agencies of the government as the Secretary and in some cases as a statutory member.
While there is agitation for the review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, nobody has taken notice of the sheer disequilibrium in protection of the Office of the Deputy Governor and making the Office effective.

It is against the backdrop that Governors behave as though they are god, squandering every the opportunities they have to contribute to the State they swore an oath to serve and protect.

Between 1999 and 2019, not less than 16 Deputy Governors have either been impeached, frustrated out office and some only hanged in there to complete their term in office.

We remember how Chief Iyiola Omisere, then Deputy Governor of Osun State was impeached in 1999. What were his sins?

According to the report: “The lawmakers claimed it was wrong of him to sue the government over a contract of $1.5 million and divulging official secrets. Bisi Akande, the governor, said he had nothing to do with the impeachment.”

Following a political schism between the present Governor of Kano, Alhaji Abubakar Ganduje, his Deputy Governor readily became the sacrificial lamb. This was so because Professor Hafiz Abubakar, a fine gentleman was accused of being loyal to Kwankwaso. In frustration, he resigned from the office on August 5, 2018 over allegation of disrespect, and injustice meted out to him by Governor Ganduje. He added that his advice to the governor was replied with persecution and injustice and that he endured “immeasurable and unjustifiable humiliation for over two and half years.

Of course, another celebrated case was Imo political quagmire sparked off by greed, self centeredness. The former Governor of Imo State in a bid to build a family political dynasty threw caution to the wind.
His preference to his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu over his long time friend and deputy governor of the state, Prince Eze Madumere led to severance of their relationship. Perceiving that Madumere’s continual stay in the Office as a Deputy Governor, having rejected call to support his son-in-law for governorship might be a threat, he called for his impeachment, which collapsed like a pack of cards.

Recall that Okorocha also went against his first Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agabso and succeeded in impeaching him over allegation of bribery and for receiving a bottle of blue label whisky from a Contractor.
It is a truism that nature abhors vacuum and this universal truth affects all facet of life. In the sequence of events, this truth has remained unchanged because nobody lives tomorrow.
No human creation is original because for every creation, there is already an existing model created by God or nature. This can account for the reason why machine and all the so called human inventions may not be novel after all.

It is about time this issue is put on the front burner. Deputy Governors cannot be spare tyres but reliable partners in national development. There is need for amendment of the constitution to create responsibilities for the office rather than be subservient to the Governor.
Again, it is foolhardy that Nigerian State would allow governors continue in their recklessness unchecked. Most State Houses of Assembly have all become annex of the Executive arm of government. If the Nigerian establishment is ready to resolve this vexatious issue to move forward, there is need to review the entire rules of engagement between governors and deputy governors. Issue of funding the Office should not be determined by the Governor. This will to a large extent reduce ugly situations of tyranny in the government.

Meanwhile, some deputy governors are considered in the joint ticket because of their intellectual capacity or popularity. I am also of the view rather than continue in the retrogressive trend; Deputy Governors can stand independent elections.

It must be observed that some Governors have relatively distinguished themselves by ensuring they treat their Deputies as contemporaries and team mates though some reservations. I will like to commend Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Former Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, Former Governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenma, Former Governor of Akwa Ibom, Chief Godswill Akpabio, Former Governor of Lagos State, Raji Fashola (SAN) among few others.

It is heartwarming learning of the Presidency’s move to restore sanity at the States by ensuring that both Legislative and Judicial arms of government are independent of the Executive arm by ensuring that they get their allocation directly from the federation account. To ensure its implementation, President Buhari has signed Executive Order 10.

The same effort should be considered to salvage the sordid state of events being experienced in the States. It is about time sanity was restored.

Uche Onwuchekwa, Political Scientist, Journalist and Public Relations practitioner writes from Owerri, Imo State and can be reached on 09027415149