 Meanwhile, citizens have now more than ever got more interested in how they are governed by the political class. And now that the 2023 General Elections are knocking, they're led to ask questions about the balance of power and the limits of the executive arm of government. Also, they want to better engage their representatives to allow for more participation of the people at grassroots in how they are represented. To look at these and other issues, we have joined us live in the Studio Honourable Chef Golula, the formerly represented at Peck Constituency 2 at the Lagos State House of Assembly. Welcome to our prime time news. Thank you for having me here. Thank you for coming. Now, we want to look at balance of power and how the people are represented. Lagos is about the most popular state in Nigeria, and you were very prominent at the House during your time. And we know how politics goes in Lagos. Sometimes the people ask questions around how you are able to achieve one of your functions, which is the balance of power with the executive arm of government and, of course, the... So we want to know. We want to know. And we understand when it comes to politics in Lagos. We understand that some people answer to some other people, and there is the issue of God federalism and all that. So then how are you able to maneuver and achieve balance of power? Well, thank you very much for coming up with this question, especially at this period. When we talk about the legislative arms of government and the executive arm and the judiciary, the three arms of government, the number one that people don't really look at is the legislative arm of government. People tend to think it's the executive arm of government because the governor is considered to be the number one, and you have the number two, number three coming, and it's really not so. The number one is the legislative arm of government because that is where things are done. For instance, let me tell you something. In the first term of the current administration, we have a situation where the head of the legislative arm, Bukala Saraki, the Senate president, and Yakubu Dogara, the speaker, could not allow the president to achieve some of the programs and policies that he promised the public, and that shows you the power that it lets, because that is where a lot of policies are being cooked, and if no matter what your budget, what Mr. President, what Mr. Governor is going to spend, it is at the house that they will be decided. When you bring in a bill, it's dead on arrival. Whatever thing you want to do, it is a house. Those people you have elected to be your representative at a house, and that is why a lot of times when people are talking about Mr. President, we want also the president to be president. You can be president and you will not be able to do anything, and that's what happened to Buhari in the first term of his administration, because the house, the legislative arm of government, that is where things are being done. For instance, we do offer sides, and when you represent the people, you talk about getting feedback, one of the things that distinguished me in the house then was a fact that I am always having this quarterly feedback with my constituents. I always engage stakeholders within my constituency every quarter, and that gave me an opportunity whatsoever they need, I've been able to hear from them directly, and I was able to go back to the house and present that which they have sent me to do at the house. If you see any legislator who is not coming back home or getting feedback from the house or from his constituents, that legislator cannot last, and that is one of the things that has affected our political space. People just believe that the governor or the president is paramount, but that isn't the situation. I'm happy with the fact that you're able to establish a communication line with your constituents, that's commendable. In any case, how do you now achieve a balance between being loyal to someone you consider a political mentor and the people you're answerable to? Looks like there's many times there's a gap, there's a huge gap between swinging to the left or the right, where do I go, where you face two roads, which one do you take? It's a myth that people believe that there's somebody in Lagos or whatever that is stating what is happening in the house, no. We are giving a free hand. We are giving an opportunity to express yourself. Any legislator that will tell you that somebody stopped him or her from doing his legislative duty, that can be in Lagos, and that's why you see Lagos is working. You might say people will definitely influence your coming into the office, so once you are being elected, because all over the world, what you consider to be Godfatherism is what is part of the world. It's not just limited to Lagos or Nigeria. You have people who will influence your election, there are people who are consulting, even as I speak with you now, around Nigeria, around Lagos, consulting them for the purpose of getting elected. So how do you maintain loyalty to a mentor? Loyalty must always be to the people that elected you. The moment you shift that loyalty, that the people, because you are serving the people, you are holding the mandate given to you by the people on their behalf. So you must always be answerable to the people, not to any other fellow. And that is why every legislator must know that your being in that office is because they electorally elected you. We have seen powerful people have decided that this is a fellow they wanted, and at the head of the day, the people, we say no, we are not going to elect this fellow, and that will be the head of that fellow. So you must know that the real power belongs to the people. And how do you let the people say, I want to bring together balance of power and people engagement, the grassroots engagement in your duties now. I want to bring it. I want to marry the two. So how do you then hold the executive by its jugular to ensure that you are able to deliver the mandate of the people and engage the people at the grassroots? Definitely. Once you have represented the people, and you have a mandate, because that is what's going to end you another time, or end you, their votes, unless you go back home. So you must always consult them. And you must always be the face, be the voice, be the hair, be what they would represent. You are the representative of the people. So you must always go back to them. And every governor, every president will not see you as his or her enemy. They must see you as someone who is trying to defend his people, defend people or a constituent to ensure that they have dividend of democracy and they have good governance in his constituency. So nobody's going to blame you for challenging. That is why I told you that the most powerful harm of government is illustrative, that have the opportunity of impeaching the president, impeaching the governor. So the governor is answerable. That's why you see the president or the executive of government always coming back to the legislative people doing budget presentation, or they want to appoint anybody, whatever thing they are doing. It is still the legislative government that will determine how that program or policy of government is going to be done. And that is why they also have that sort of what we call the oversight function that they can always go back and say, we ask you to spend X, Y. You spend Y. Why have you not spent the X? And I mean, they must ask questions. And for every legislator, you must perform that duty credibly well that everybody will be able to say, yes, we have a representative. On the 23rd, it's knocking again. And we're going back to the polls to elect our representatives. And the people at the grassroots, we want better representation. And it's a concern that many times the people at the grassroots cannot even reach those representing them at the House of Assembly anymore. They go to the polls to elect them. And then when they want to get elected, they smile at them, they play with them, they relate well with them, they connect with them. Once they get elected, they can't even reach them anymore. So how do you bridge this gap? Now, that is one of the things that I've seen in this particular election, that people are focusing more on the presidential election, on the governorship election, rather than focusing on those who are going to determine if we are going to have good governance or not. And they are the legislative realm of government. So those are the people that are going to have, they are the one that is going to give you that vote that you need to win. And they are the one that is going to represent you at the National Assembly or the legislative realm to ensure that you have that good governance that you have been craving for, not the president, not the governor. It's so sad now that nobody is even talking about them. And a lot of them are just being, you will just vote already, maybe for a particular party or for a particular individual that at the end of the day, you will not be able to have control over. You will not be able to even have the hair of such a person. And that is where the problem lies. So we must look at the area of the legislative realm of government, which is critical to the sustainability or to a situation where you can have good governors in the system. Thank you very much. My last word to you. So what should I expect from you? What's your next political move? I asked you in private, you didn't want to divulge. Maybe you divulged now. Well, my political move is to ensure that my party, the APC, wins the presidential election. And I'm talking about the people I met in Ubu and the governor of Lagos State and my senator. That is my major concern as far as my move is now. That's my ambition to ensure that those people are in office and also every APC member or candidate that we do have. Okay. We'll wait till the campaign starts proper and to ask you to come back and say this again. Thank you very much for joining us on our prime time. Thank you for having me. Hello. Hope you enjoyed the news. 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