Not many Nigerians considered the possibility of General Muhammadu Buhari ever becoming the President. The tribe of the die-hard doubting Thomases failed to reckon with the man who stood staunchly behind the dream of the CHANGE that was to come the way of Nigeria.

FROM January 15, 1966 till June 3, 1967, Nigeria had no Ministers. That is a period of over fifteen months. The two military rulers who ruled during that period——Major General Johnson Thomas Umanakwe Aguiyi Ironsi(1924-1966) and General Yakubu Dan-Yuma Gowon (80) constituted permanent secretaries as members of the Federal Executives Councils.

As lovers of true democracy acknowledge the historic emergence of a bipartisan legislature—made possible by the return of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President of the 8th National Assembly, there have also been disenchanted voices of some anti-democratic elements who appear hell-bent on subverting the nation’s nascent democracy. Some of them have even gone to the extent of calling for the resignation or impeachment of the duly elected and constitutionally-backed Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu just to satisfy their greed.

IN ideal democracies which Nigeria is copiously adopting, the principle of separation of powers is one of the pillars on which such societies are built. Indeed, since they (judiciary, legislature and executive) exist independently, they are meant to perform the role of checks and balances. In doing so, they avoid encroaching on each other’s responsibilities and constitutionally assigned roles.

The recent outburst by the former governor of Kano State, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, over the emergence of the National Assembly leadership, leaves no one in doubt that the development, especially the election of Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ike Ekweremadu as the Senate’s presiding officers, has given him sleepless nights.