by Alexander O. Onukwue

What are the thoughts of the people of Yobe East Senatorial district on the conduct of their Senator as revealed in the video tape?

Disgust? Pity? or will it be Ba Magana?

Because that would be the main drive if there were to be any moves to retire the former Governor from the National Assembly. Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim has been in the red chamber since 2007 after the expiration of his two terms as the Governor of the state. Under Ibrahim, Yobe was one of the Northern States at the turn of the millennium which modified its legal codes to align with a more Sharia outlook.

As leader, it is to be expected that he embodies such values, but the scenes from the video are indicative of the contrary. He does not really accept it as a mistake or as a one-night gaffe; this is probably just one video in a series.

Moral judgments are often left to the subjective space but moral issues do matter. Politics is the authoritative allocation of “values” by the popular Harold Lasswell definition. While these allocated values are not all tied on the basis of moderate or wild sexual habits, it is only sensible to expect that those who want to lead society towards order should themselves have ordered lives.

We know we would not be having this argument if a female leader were caught in this web; she would have been shamed into immediate resignation. It would happen regardless of where she came from, but especially if she belonged to a more conservative cultural and religious background.

It’s a long shot for Bukar Ibrahim to be sacked from the Senate; at best, he will be reprimanded and an apology will be made on his behalf by some aide or other official in the National Assembly. Some others will harp on the blackmail rhetoric to draw attention to their own travails. Again, a recall is mostly always a tool of political expedience, and it does not look like the Yobe Governor is having any qualms with his elder predecessor.

Editor