DAVID MARK: A Great Lesson in Legislative Leadership (II)

By Orshi Daniel

Following Ewerem’s ouster, the Oyi of Oyi, Chuba Okadigbo mounted the seat of the Senate President. His leadership ushered in the most cerebral and robust Senate.
Okadigbo’s willingness and determination to excise the Senate from the apron of Aso Rock, earned him the wrath of the Chief Tenant of the Villa. However, Okadigbo’s greatest undoing was his arrogance and know-all attitude towards his colleagues. He acted like the Headmaster. The Presidency exploited the crack among his colleagues and Okadigbo’s Senate Presidency came to an end on the 8th of August, 2000 as he was impeached on the strength of the recommendations of Idris Kuta panel. Nevertheless, he did not leave without a drama as the mysterious missing of the mace was linked to him. He had allegedly taken it to his Ogbunike country-home to forestall his impeachment. Under Okadigbo, forty bills were presented and brilliantly debated within his nine months stay.
With the Oyi’s exit, Anyim Puis Anyim, an Obasanjo protégé took charge of the leadership of the Red Chambers. The Anyim Senate Presidency was not without troubles. While he was subservient and pandering to the interest of the Executive, he earned the disdain of his colleagues. It got to a point that Senators deserted sittings in protest of Anyim’s leadership style. When Anyim eventually fell out of favour with Aso Rock, the ever willing Nzeribe championed the ‘Anyim-Must-Go’ project with the hope of replacing him. Interestingly, Anyim survived and suspended Nzeribe from the Senate indefinitely. Noteworthy, the exalted seat of the President of the Senate became like a poisoned chalice. Anyim, who though had survived narrowly was not without bruises and in his 40 page Valedictory Address, announced his exit from partisan politics.
At the inauguration of the 5th Senate in 2003, the Presidency had mastered the politics of the Senate and was determined to play a more influential role in the selection of its leadership. Adolphus Wabara was elected President of the Senate with the support of Aso Rock. It was even rumoured that Wabara became Senate President before his election was affirmed by the courts. The inauguration of the Senate had to wait until Wabara won his court case against Elder Dan Imo at an Abuja High Court. While Wabara played according to the dictates of the Presidency, his greatest political undoing was to nurse a presidential ambition. This caused great discomfort to the Villa, placing Wabara in his benefactor’s political blacklist. Wabara’s end came when he allegedly collected N55 million from the Minister of Education, Professor Fabian Osuji and Professor Jude Njuko, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Owerri to increase their budgetary allocation. Consequently, President Obasanjo made a nation-wide broadcast on the subject-matter and announced the sacking of the Education Minister and others. While Wabara fell easily to the trap orchestrated by the Imo-born politician and tactician, Arthur Nzeribe, who had convened a meeting of Igbo Senators at Wabara’s residence and mooted the idea of an Igbo Presidency with Wabara as the possible choice, David Mark, an Obasanjo boy in the Senate, led a group of 86 Senators who moved against Wabara.