A group, Nigerian Proactive Defense for Democracy and Good Governance, has decried what it called surreptitious moves to amend the Standing Rules of both the Senate and House of Representatives to allow first-term lawmakers emerge as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 10th National Assembly, stressing that such development will undermine the global parliamentary procedures and ridicule Nigeria’s highest lawmaking institutions.
The group also expressed concerns that amending the Standing Rules at this point will clearly expose a grand design to favour certain individuals, protect special interests as well as belittle the institution and generate an unprecedented tension in the race for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
National President of the association, Prince Kayode Peter, in a statement issued in Abuja, pointed out that while all lawmakers-elect are qualified to run for the the four Presiding Offices in both chambers, the Nigeria’s National Assembly must always strive to raise standards and not to indulge in activities that will present the institution as weak and without a mind of its own.
The association maintained that the United States of America where Nigeria dubbed her democracy from, as well as other democracies such as South Africa and many others, places priority on cognate legislative experience.
The statement reads,”In the USA you cannot just emerge speaker or even a committee chairman as first-timer. In South Africa, you can’t even be appointed chairman of the committee of Rules and Business as a fresher, let alone Speaker.
“The Nigerian parliament cannot keep amending the Standing Rules in such a manner that is shameful and without recourse to the integrity of the institution. And we are of the strong opinion that amending the Standing Rules of the National Assembly at this time under the leadership of Senate President Ahmed Lawan who has so far offered and led a stable and peaceful National Assembly will destroy the good works and lower the bar.
“Laws and rules are not meant to favour certain individuals and, we urge the Senate President to leave above board and resist the temptation to pander to the whims and caprices of external forces to and allow lawmakers with the cognate experience to lead the 10th National Assembly.”
The association maintained that all the returning lawmakers were all eminently qualified to lead each of the two chambers, adding that, “We are equally concerned that Nigerian institutions have of late, become notorious for changing the rules in the middle of a game and that is quite frightening, it has made Nigeria a laughing stock and even , posses grave danger for our democracy.
“The chairman of the INEC for instance, unecessarily switched the rules during collation of a Presidential election which by the way ,the APC presidential candidate ,Bola Ahmed Tinubu would still have won. His behaviour have now , given the opposition grounds to challenge the process. Today , the National Assembly is planning to amend standing Rules also in a contest that the most popular and acceptable candidate will still win without considering that once rules are changed ,the opposition parties will smell a rat and use their numbers frustrate those first timers and consequently change the face of the leadership like they did in 2015.
“Nations do not grow with such impunity. We believe that there is nothing wrong with the current standing Rules and even if there is a compelling need for it’s amendment it should not be now that it will clearly mean to favour certain individuals and protect certain interests.
“The Senate President must understand that the business of lawmaking itself is serious business and the assumption that a former Governor or former minister or former Head of agency will automatically understand that business of lawmaking much more than a lawmaker with the Congnate experience is just a wishful thought that defies all known logic and designed to make nonsense of the parliament,” it added.
The group further cautioned that “Parliamentary procedures and conventions defends that institution and protects it from external influence and meddling . So to attack a parliamentary culture is something the lawmakers must resist . The National Assembly procedures allows former lawmakers the privileges to take a bow and leave during screenings for instance ,will the Ahmed Lawan National Assembly equally amend that section? Because clearly it gives the beneficiaries special status from other nominees who are also Nigerians who should enjoy equal rights.
“Let nobody try to set banana peels for the incoming administration and we urge the President Elect to be mindful of certain shades of advise from his close allies in the National Assembly who are on vendetta missions.”
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