A political scientist, Prof. Sylvester Akhaine, has urged Nigerians to make better use of existing constitutional provisions to hold elected public officials accountable.

Mr Akhaine, who is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Lagos State University( LASU), made the call during an interview on Saturday in Lagos.

According to him, the country does not lack laws,but the will to enforce them.

Mr Akhaine said that the 1999 Constitution already provided adequate institutional frameworks to check abuse of office through impeachment, recall and periodic elections.

According to him, the Constitution remains the supreme law of the land and clearly spells out how public officials are elected, how they should conduct themselves and the sanctions for violating public trust.

“The Constitution provides for the impeachment of elected public officials who abuse the trust reposed in them by the people.

“It also gives citizens the opportunity to vote leaders out at the end of every electoral cycle, while elected representatives can be recalled if their constituents are no longer satisfied with their performance,” he said.

Mr Akhaine, however, lamented that attempts to use the constitutional recall process had largely failed because influential politicians often manipulated the system.

He cited previous recall attempts involving Ibrahim Mantu and Dino Melaye, noting that neither exercise succeeded.

According to him, the problem is not the absence of laws, but the inability to apply them fairly and consistently.

He also expressed concern that legislative institutions, including the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly, had not always sufficiently played their constitutional role of checking the executive arm of government.

The don, however, said there had been instances in Nigeria’s democratic history when the legislature demonstrated its independence.

He recalled how the Senate resisted the proposed third-term agenda during the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo under the leadership of Ken Nnamani.

According to him, the development showed that democratic institutions could function effectively when leaders place national interest above personal or political considerations.

The political scientist also urged opposition political parties to become more organised and provide credible alternatives capable of strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.

He observed that many opposition parties had failed to sustain political alliances and programmes needed to effectively challenge those in power.

The don stressed that active citizen participation remained one of the strongest tools for promoting accountability in governance.

According to him, many eligible Nigerians either fail to register to vote or do not participate in elections after registering.

“What we need is sustained political education so that citizens understand the power of their votes.

“The ballot remains the strongest instrument for choosing leaders and replacing those who fail to perform. Nigerians must rise to their civic responsibility and actively participate in the democratic process,” he said.

The don expressed optimism that Nigeria’s democratic institutions would become stronger through promotion of accountability and good governance. 

(NAN)