Nothing he did as Speaker of the House of Representatives equaled the nobility he demonstrated on the day he lost his re-election bid.

Oladimeji Sabur Bankole, who for nearly four years ruled the lower chamber with less than spectacular success, finally displayed the sensitivity, humility and patriotism that Nigerians had waited to see for so long.

Shortly after the announcement of the results for the parliamentary election at the Centenary Centre, Ake, Abeokuta, Mr Bankole congratulated his Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) rival, Segun williams, who polled 28,490 votes to his 23,103.

“For me, the race was not a life and death duel,” he said. “Of more importance is building, maintaining and developing our democratic institutions and processes towards true national development and greatness.” Nigerians wished he had shown such magnanimity a little sooner. After the debacle that was Patricia Etteh’s stint in the Speaker’s chair, Mr Bankole, a member of the so-called Integrity Group which traduced her, beat George Jolaoye to emerge speaker on November 1st 2007. It was a non-contest; Mr Jolaoye managed 20 votes to Mr Bankole’s 204.

The new speaker was 37, and a bachelor. It was the promise of spring for the House of Representatives: A graduate of Reading and Harvard universities was taking over from a woman who studied as a hairdresser.

A dream deferred

Mr Bankole’s first statement as Speaker was replete with military idioms. “I am taking over the mantle of leadership at a very difficult time. But these are hard times, we need to build confidence again and assure the populace that we are still their representatives. I want an independent House that Nigerians will be proud of; this is my first task,” he said.

Many will say he failed at his first task. He had not been Speaker for one week when the attacks began. He was accused of failing to serve in the National Youth Service Corps scheme; he had to provide pictures and publish his NYSC certificate in newspapers to prove he served. Then stories emerged that he was a serial philanderer and his non-marital status became such an issue that it probably hastened his marriage.

A public punch-up

More serious allegations were soon to follow. His predecessor had been removed for allegedly inflating the contract for the renovation of the Speaker’s quarters at the sum of N628 million, yet Mr Bankole had insisted on repairing the residence for a similar amount. Then came the controversial contract for the purchase of Peugeot 407 cars for N2.3 billion for which Dino Melaye and his crew of 10 became infamous.

They called themselves “Progressive minded legislators” and called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Mr Bankole’ s handling of the contract. Mr Bankole fought back, removing them from committees, suspending them from the House, and changing the locks to their offices. Calls for the impeachment of the Speaker intensified.

The fight took a bizarre turn when members of the group were beaten up and thrown out of the chamber. Footage of the incident, including torn dresses, missed blows and the manhandling of a female parliamentarian, became a staple of television houses and YouTube enthusiasts. At one point Mr Bankole, a former artillery officer, took on a member of the group, Independence Ogunewe in a free-for-all, on the grounds of the National Assembly. Mr Ogunewe had been rude when the Speaker tried to make peace. “I went to your house to see you but I met your wife,” Mr Bankole had offered. “Maybe you went to see my wife, you idiot!” Mr Ogunewe had retorted.

Such was the House that Mr Bankole ruled over as Nigerians wallowed in poverty, disease and collapsed infrastructure. The members kept raising their salaries and allowances until the Assembly’s overheads totaled 25 percent of the nation’s entire budget for overheads. They kept inflating the budget until it got so bloated that the minister of finance himself stepped in to say it was no longer a practical document. They got embroiled in bribe scandals, approved billions for SIM card registration when the service providers had begun doing that at no cost to the country. In 2009, it emerged that Mr Bankole’s House spent N52 billion on overseas and domestic travels the previous year.

By the time he lost his re-election bid last Saturday, Mr Bankole had all but eroded whatever hopes Nigerians had left in the National Assembly. Rather than stop the extravagance and waste that has made the institution such a drain on the public purse, Mr Bankole sat over a House that became notorious for profligacy.

If tomorrow comes

As the youngest speaker in Nigeria’s history, apart from the Salisu Buhari interregnum, Mr Bankole has his whole life ahead of him.

Musa Ebomhiana, the media aide to the Speaker, refused to speculate on what this future may look like. He chose to speak of the man’s past. “The Speaker left a great legacy in terms of lawmaking, in terms of stability of the House and in terms of probity,” he said.

“For instance, he saw to the passage of the Electoral Act. And during his tenure, for the first time, unspent billions which used to be spent by civil servants after a budget year were returned to government coffers.” There has always been talk that Mr Bankole had his eyes on the Ogun State Government House. Sources say that is the reason behind his quarrel with Gbenga Daniel with whom he had previously had a good rapport. Mr Daniel allegedly preferred that Mr Bankole not succeed him. But as Mr Bankole’s Special Adviser on Communications, Kayode Oshinowo told NEXT yesterday, “This matter that the Speaker wants to be governor has been addressed before. It is a rumour that started long ago. He has never said he wanted to be governor of Ogun State. People just keep carrying the rumour.” The rumour has refused to die though. When Mr Daniel was named the southwest coordinator of the Jonathan-Sambo campaign organisation, sources said the Speaker toyed with the idea of decamping to the ACN.

As late as December 2010, there were speculations that Mr Bankole would dump the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the ACN in order to realise his ambition of ruling Ogun State. Mr Oshinowo insists none of this is really true. “Tomorrow, things may change. I cannot say,” he said. “But up to this moment, he has not talked of ruling the state.” Now that both Mr Bankole and Mr Daniel, together with their perennial antagonist Mr Obasanjo, have lost out following the overwhelming defeat of the PDP by the ACN in the state, the field is open for Mr Bankole to choose either to remain in the party or move on to the winning side.

Mr Oshinowo said his boss has done enough to be remembered by history. ”Even in terms of membership bills, he did more than his predecessors. Aminu Masari oversaw the passage of 101 bills, and Ghali Na’abba even less. But during Dimeji Bankole’s tenure, the House passed 135 bills.” Perhaps the tragedy is that most Nigerians will remember him for less savoury reasons. When asked what the Speaker’s next plans are, Mr Oshinowo said: “I cannot say. But I think it is only right that he should be given time to think of his future.” There is no doubt that, at 41, Mr Bankole has plenty of time to learn the lessons of his defeat. As Mr Williams who defeated him said, “It has been proven that power belongs to the people. The people give power and take power through the ballot. Opportunities in life should be used for the benefit of the electorate.”


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He has stolen enough, so there's no point complaining.