A coalition pro-Democracy civil society organisations (CSOs), has berated the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, for allegedly being responsible for the plot to assault the independence of the legislature by handpicking presiding officers for the incoming 10th National Assembly.
The groups also rejected the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) zoning formula which favours Senator Godswill Akpabio from South-South as the next Senate President, and Senator Jibril Barau from North-West as Deputy, while Hon. Tajudeen Abbas from North-West and Hon. Benjamin Kalu from South-East were anointed as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively.
At a press conference addressed by the Convener/National President of the Coalition, Hon. Dauda Yakubu, in Abuja on Wednesday, the CSOs also called in federal lawmakers-elect in both chambers of the 10th National Assembly to reject the APC zoning formula and go ahead to elect presiding officers of their choice to guarantee the independence of the parliament.
“The matter at hand calls for this urgency because it will define the shape and form of governance that Nigerians will get in the next four years.
The matter we are flagging for Nigerians is the anomaly that is being visited upon the incoming leadership of the 10th National Assembly. As you are aware, there have been a lot of engagements by those that are interested in the position of President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Such engagements are natural interventions in democracies, so we are comfortable with that. This is because we believe that such engagement will enable those aspiring to lead the Senate and House of Representatives to properly sell themselves to their colleagues, which ultimately will translate into a parliament that is able to deliver governance to Nigerians.
“We were, therefore, shocked to read reports that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has come up with a zoning template and even went further to rub salt on injury by attaching names to the positions of principal officers – Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker, Deputy Speaker and all other offices of the National Assembly.
It is on record that the APC kicked against such an arrangement in the past, describing it as a hijack of democracy. It is, therefore, ironic that the persons in APC who rejected the imposition of leadership on the National Assembly are either ominously quiet now or are the ones undermining our democratic tenets.
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“The imposition of leaders is nothing but a coronation of some individuals who would not necessarily earn the acceptance of their colleagues, which implies that they also will not enjoy the acceptance of the constituents of their colleagues.
“The zoning template and the consequent naming of principal officers for the National Assembly before the parliament is proclaimed can therefore be best described as a coronation ceremony before the birth of the king, which is not allowed in a democracy.
“We are aware that the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila is a key factor in this ongoing rape of democracy. It is unbecoming that Rt. Hon. Gbajabiamila, who has been one of the greatest beneficiaries of our democracy, could be the one machinating to sabotage the institution that defines him in Nigerian politics. Had usurpers dictated the composition of the leadership of the 9th National Assembly, he certainly would not occupy the position of the Speaker today and would consequently not have the clout to attempt imposing a leadership on the National Assembly.
“This move becomes even more abhorrent with the realization that Rt. Hon. Gbajabiamila is on his way to becoming part of the executive in one form or the other. He has been tipped as a potential Chief-of-Staff to the incoming president, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu. The implication of his coronating the leadership of the National Assembly while assuming an executive position is that he would erase the separation of powers between the executive and the legislature and creation of a rubber-stamp parliament.
“A rubber-stamp National Assembly is precisely what the country does not need currently bearing in mind the extent of reform-oriented legislations and oversight that is needed in the months and years ahead. Nigerians need a parliament that they can hold accountable and not one that answers to a kingmaker in the person of Rt. Hon. Gbajabiamila.
“On this note, we call on men of good conscience within the APC and conscientious Nigerians including those in the opposition to rise up in defence of Nigeria’s democracy. They should come out and add their voices to the demand that the members and Senators-elect should be allowed the independence granted by the principles of separation of power to decide on the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
“The Coalition of Pro-democracy CSOs further calls on Nigerians and the international community to start watching the APC, particularly Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila over his anti-democratic moves. The party should be informed in clear terms that its partisan interests should not be escalated for sabotaging our democracy.
“Finally, we reject the so-called zoning template released by the APC’s NWC as null and of no consequence while urging the senators and members-elect to do the same and vote for parliamentary leaders that will be useful in attaining the promises they made to their electorates,” Yakubu stated.
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