How Judges and Lawmakers Singing “On Your Mandate We Stand” Threatens Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy
By
Nze David N. Ugwu
Introduction: A Song Becomes A Warning Siren
When judges—with their black robes symbolising neutrality—rise during a national conference and publicly sing “On Your Mandate We Stand” for the President, something deeper than music is happening.
When senators and members of the House of Representatives, supposedly the custodians of oversight and separation of powers, repeatedly break into the same chorus at plenary sessions, we must ask the uncomfortable question:
On whose mandate do they truly stand?
The President’s?
Or the people’s?
And when reports emerge that the Federal Executive Council itself sings the same chant, the symbolism becomes even more troubling. What began as a political rally song has unconsciously become an anthem of allegiance across all three arms of government.
This is not mere optics.
It is not harmless flattery.
It is a constitutional red flag.
In a functioning democracy, the three arms of government do not gather around a presidential mandate like worshippers around an altar. They do not sing the same chorus of loyalty. They do not perform unity in songs when the constitution assigns them different responsibilities—and different sources of legitimacy.
A song, in this climate, is no longer just a song.
It is a diagnosis of democratic decay.
How Did We Get Here? The Symbolism Of A Dangerous Chorus
The phrase “On Your Mandate We Stand,” famously associated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political movement, is not a national pledge. It is not the national anthem. It is not a constitutional oath.
It is a partisan loyalty song, rooted in partisan identity.
When judges sing it, they are declaring a non-neutral allegiance.
When lawmakers sing it, they abandon their oversight responsibility.
When cabinet members sing it, they reinforce an already strong executive.
In modern governance theory, symbols tell the story long before institutions collapse.
What message, then, does this chorus send?
- It signals the erosion of institutional independence.
If the Judiciary openly sings the President’s rally song, can it be expected to check the executive?
Can it adjudicate election cases against the ruling party freely?
Can citizens trust in judicial impartiality?
- It signals the Legislature’s self-subordination.
The Legislature is not designed to “stand” on the President’s mandate.
It stands on the mandate of its constituencies.
Its job is to question, probe, scrutinize, interrogate, and—if necessary—reject the President’s decisions.
When lawmakers choose to sing instead of scrutinize, they are declaring their resignation from oversight.
- It signals the emergence of a unified political choir—one voice, one centre of power.
This is precisely how democracies slide into one-party dominance, and eventually, authoritarianism.
History rarely announces itself with coups.
Sometimes, it starts with a song.
The Constitutional Consequences: When Separation of Powers Becomes a Formality
Nigeria’s Constitution is unambiguous:
The Legislature makes laws.
The Executive implements laws.
The Judiciary interprets laws.
They check one another.
They balance one another.
They restrain one another.
But all three do NOT stand on the same mandate.
So, what happens when the Legislature and Judiciary choose to stand on the President’s mandate?
- Checks and Balances Collapse
You cannot check a government you are publicly singing for.
You cannot challenge decisions of a leader you have declared loyalty to.
- Rule of Law Becomes Rule of Favour
When judges sing for the President, judicial independence is no longer institutional—it becomes optional. Optional independence is not independence.
- Oversight Becomes Ceremony, Not Substance
Committee hearings, investigations, budget reviews, confirmations—everything becomes ritual.
The President proposes; the legislature rubber-stamps.
- The Constitution Becomes a Casualty
The Constitution is alive only when institutions defend their boundaries.
When those boundaries dissolve in political music, constitutionalism becomes decorative.
We begin to resemble nations where leadership is unquestioned, power is fused, and dissent is minimized.
Are We Drifting into Authoritarianism? The Early Warning Signs
Democratic decline rarely announces itself with gunshots. Sometimes, it arrives with applause, chants, and songs of loyalty. The Nigeria of today exhibits several early warning signs of executive overreach:
- Increasing Centralization of Power
Presidential influence now extends deep into parliament, judiciary, federal agencies, state politics, and security structures.
- Homogenisation of Opinion Among Elites
Everyone appears to be saying the same thing. Those who disagree stay silent—or get silenced through political pressure, appointments, EFCC harassment, or social backlash.
- Declining Legislative Courage
Critical bills are passed at lightning speed. Oversight reports are watered down. Committee chairs behave like presidential aides.
- Judicial Timidity
High-profile cases involving the state increasingly favour the executive. Judges appear unwilling to challenge state power.
- Public De-politicisation
Citizens feel helpless, alienated, fatigued, and fearful. Elections increasingly feel like rituals whose outcomes are predetermined not by votes but by institutional allegiances.
Add these signs to the new musical culture of institutional loyalty, and you get the familiar symptoms of nations drifting toward:
- Soft authoritarianism
- Democratic backsliding
- One-party dominance
- Personality-cult politics
- Pre-dictatorial conditions
We may not be there yet, but we are unmistakably on the road.
What Happens When All Arms Of Government “Stand On One Mandate”?
If all arms of government, in spirit and in symbolism, now stand on the President’s mandate, then Nigeria effectively has: One Mandate, One Agenda, One Power Centre. This is the constitutional definition of fusion of powers, not separation. The consequences are far-reaching:
- The Legislature Loses Its Mandate
The National Assembly is no longer the people’s House—it becomes the President’s second chamber.
- The Judiciary Becomes a Department of the Executive
Even if judges are not directly controlled, the perception of loyalty contaminates justice.
Public trust collapses. Justice becomes suspect.
- Elections Become Less Meaningful
If the same power bloc dominates all institutions, elections lose their competitive value.
Voters lose incentive to participate.
- Opposition Voices Are Muted
Without institutional support, opposition becomes symbolic, not substantive.
- National Policy Becomes Unquestioned Orthodoxy
Policies, once announced, pass without debate. This kills innovation, accountability, and public engagement. When institutions weaken, citizens suffer. When institutions sing in chorus, democracy becomes a monologue.
How Democracies Die: Lessons From Other Countries
Nigerians often comfort themselves with the belief that “military rule cannot return.”
Maybe not with tanks. But democracies can die quietly—without uniforms, coups, or declarations. Look at:
Venezuela
Democracy eroded not through violence but through systematic weakening of judiciary and legislature.
Turkey
Parliament and the courts gradually aligned with the executive, making dissent risky.
Hungary and Poland
Ruling parties slowly captured institutions through loyalty appointments.
Russia
Courts, parliament, and media transformed into arms of the presidency.
Their common pattern?
- First, the executive consolidates influence.
- Then, the Judiciary submits.
- Then, the Legislature follows.
- Then, political parties weaken.
- Eventually, only one mandate remains.
Sound familiar?
Nigeria is not yet any of these countries. But the signs are unmistakable. The song “On Your Mandate We Stand” is not the problem. It is the symptom. The problem is that all institutions now sing it willingly.
Where Does This Lead Nigeria? Four Possible Scenarios
If the current trend continues, Nigeria faces four potential futures:
Scenario 1: Soft Authoritarianism
Elections continue but become increasingly predictable.
Opposition parties exist but cannot win.
Institutions function but are neutered.
This is the most likely path.
Scenario 2: One-Party State
The ruling party becomes impossible to dislodge.
Institutions imitate the will of the executive.
Policy dissent becomes minimal.
This scenario mirrors several African nations.
Scenario 3: Presidential Dominance with Institutional Decay
The Executive becomes overwhelmingly powerful.
Judiciary and legislature become ceremonial.
Public trust collapses.
This leads to democratic paralysis.
Scenario 4: Complete Democratic Collapse
Extreme but possible.
Occurs when citizens lose faith in elections, institutions, and leadership.
Leads to mass apathy, unrest, or extra-constitutional solutions.
No nation should ever walk toward this scenario.
The Way Out: Reclaiming The Mandate of the People
Nigeria does not need perfect institutions. It needs independent ones. The way out is clear:
- The Judiciary Must Rebuild Public Trust
Judicial conferences must enforce neutrality. Judges should avoid partisan displays.
- The Legislature Must Rediscover Its Voice
Oversight must become stronger, not weaker. Parliament is not a choir stand.
- Civil Society Must Demand Institutional Independence
Silence is complicity. Public outcry matters.
- Political Culture Must Shift
Patronage must give way to performance. Allegiance must be to the Constitution, not personalities.
- Leaders Must Remember Their Oaths
They swore to defend the Constitution, not exalt one another.
Conclusion: A Democracy Cannot Survive on One Mandate
“On Your Mandate We Stand” may be a song—but songs carry meaning. And meaning shapes culture. And culture shapes institutions.
If all three arms of government truly stand on the President’s mandate, then Nigeria no longer functions as a three-arm republic.
We become, at best, a one-mandate democracy, and at worst, a pre-authoritarian state.
A nation where institutions sing instead of scrutinize is a nation on the path of democratic regression.
The solution is not to stop singing.
The solution is to remember whose mandate actually matters:
The Mandate of the People.
Nze David N. Ugwu is the Managing Consultant of Knowledge Research Consult. He could be reached at [email protected] or +2348037269333.
