The past few weeks have witnessed very interesting happenings at the Senate – which were extremely absurd for Nigerians who are watching intently.

First, there was the controversy over the 2016 budget which was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, and then sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent. However, it was sent to the President without details of changes done to the Appropriation Bill. Rightfully, the President has withheld his assent until those details are sent.

While there has been quite some uproar over whether the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Rail Project was part of the budget proposal, an oversight which seems to be the fault of the executive, it is still absurd that the Senate will expect such a weighty bill will pass into law without details of changes being known, a move which could likely put the executive into a corner of implementing a budget they do not agree with.

Also, their attempt to say that signing a budget without details of amendments to the proposal known was not without precedent fell flat on its face, as former President Olusegun Obasanjo said contrary to the claims of the Senate, he never signed an appropriation bill into law without knowing the details.

Another absurdity that took place at the Senate was the attempt to amend the laws creating the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal, and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, which were being done speedily in what seemed like attempts to halt the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for false declaration of assets.

Although the Senate has suspended the plans to amend these laws, it did not come without a lot of uproar across the country and party lines and was seen as clear attempts to make it harder to fight corruption.

As though that were enough, the Senate has gone ahead to buy official cars for its members at one car per state (36 cars in all), in a curious tradition it has maintained since previous assemblies where senators are bought cars in addition to having car allowances and at seemingly inflated prices.

It also comes at a time where Nigeria is reeling from a cash crunch caused by the sharp fall in oil prices, even necessitating an increase in our budget deficit from N2.2trillion to N3trillion.

The purchase of these cars also shows the Senate to be tone-deaf and dismissive of the feelings of the electorate who would like to see more cost-cutting measures in the government at all levels, and especially in the National Assembly which has for the past few years refused to reveal details of its budget, preferring to just write a one-line item in the budget of the total allocated to it.

As such, it is impossible to see the specific projects and expenditure items of the National Assembly, casting a pall of doubt on their transparency and integrity.

In the run-up to the elections of principal officers of the National Assembly, both the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives promised to open the financial books of their respective chambers and give details of their budget. So far, neither has kept that promise, even as they missed a golden opportunity with the 2016 budget proposal to keep it. Alas, it has continued to be business as usual.

The Senate seems to be oblivious of the fact that the political consciousness of Nigerians has been on a trajectory upwards, and more eyes are set on them in order to hold them to accountability. This obliviousness explains why they have over the past few months, acted without regard to the opinions of their constituents.

There have either been focused on passing laws that are downright unpopular such as the Frivolous Petitions Bill (which has a section that will stifle freedom of expression online) or the amendments to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act; or the shows of support for the embattled Senate President by either summoning the President of the Tribunal in an overreach of their powers, or abandoning plenary to accompany Senator Saraki to his trials.

It is undeniable that there is a general negative perception of the Senate among Nigerians, and this is almost entirely the work of the Senate. They have continually squandered their goodwill, and they do not seem bothered about.

There is an urgent need for the Senate to start correcting these anomalies, and to begin to act in order to serve the people that elected, and not themselves. They have to remember that as we get more familiar with democracy, the electorate’s power increases, and it goes beyond just casting votes at elections.

Nigeria cannot to afford an upper legislative chamber that does not recognize the urgency of the times and act accordingly to the benefit of everyone, and not just its 109 members.

If sanity and selfless leadership cannot trump selfish ambitions in the National Assembly, perhaps, Nigerians should begin to utilise the option of recalling their representatives.

Chapter V, Section 110 of the Nigerian constitution says

A member of the National Assembly may be recalled if –

(a) there is presented to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission a petition in that behalf signed by more than one-half of the persons registered to vote in that members’s constituency alleging their loss of confidence in that member; and

(b) the petition is thereafter, in a referendum conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission within ninety days of the date of the receipt of the petition, approved by a simple majority of the votes of the persons registered to vote in that member’s constituency.