10th Assembly: CSOs Urge President-elect to Beware of Anti-democratic Forces

*Seek level playing ground for legislators

Juliet Akoje in Abuja. 

A coalition of civil society group has urged the president elect to be weary of some antidemocratic forces around him who are only trying to cajole him to interfere in a function exclusively provided for the legislators by the Nigerian Constitution. 

Addressing the press yesterday in Abuja, the Director General for the Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness, Dr. Nwambu Gabriel said that these merchants of anti-democratic forces were hiding under the guise of the President elect to do their own personal and selfish biddings, which is inimical to our nations democracy. 

The group also  appealed to the President elect, Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu to tow the line of honour and provide a level playing ground for the legislators to exercise their function as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

Gabriel stated that “On Monday, the 8” of May 2023 was climaxed by a melancholy alleged to have emanated from the national working committee (NWC) of a political party, allotting some principal positions in the Senate and House of Representatives to some individuals. This announcement has been hit by swift resistance from most members elect of the 10 National Assembly as they believe that such announcement amounts to an imposition of candidates thereby usurping the powers of the parliament, undermining its sovereignty and independence of the legislature.

“Those who crafted the word democracy and indeed separation of powers. The idea is to have an independent arm of government called the legislature for the purpose of providing ‘checks and balances’ in such a manner to avoid the concentration of powers in one body as this would lead to usurpation of powers and consequently degenerate to dictatorship, tyranny and operation”

He argued that “the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) is superior to every other document including the Senate and House Rules respectively. Section 50 (1a) and (1b) is simple, unambiguous and clear. This states that “there shall be (a) a President and a Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves; and (b) a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.

“This simply implies that any other person or persons or group of persons nominating the principal officers of both houses other than the representatives themselves is null, void and unconstitutional, therefore amounts to an aberration which is tantamount to usurping the powers of the legislators thereby exposing the fragile democracy of Nigeria to jeopardy”. 

The group.fuether said: “We can not be talking about a ‘New Nigeria’, where things are done the right way and we are still seeing the imposition of candidates in our legislators principal offices. If the President elect wants to win the support and interest of Nigerians , then he should be seen to be doing things differently from the old ways to a new Nigeria.

“Again, during the APC Presidential primary election, several prominent Nigerians purchased the nomination forms including the outgoing Vice President of Nigeria and the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan. At a time, some persons even anointed the Senate President as the consensus candidate. This received very stiff resistance, opposition and condemnation from several quarters. A level playing ground was provided by President Mohammadu Buhari and Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu contested against all odds and won the primaries landslide”.

He further stressed that, “As CSOs, we are not interested in who emerges as the speaker or deputy speaker or the senate president or the deputy senate president. Our interest is that there is a provision in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and it is a document that is superior to any other document including the house rules or the senate rules.We are saying that since it is a constitutional provision, that the political party to which the president-elect belongs, should allow the constitution to be executed to the letter.

“We are saying that an interference in the process of electing the speaker, deputy speaker, the senate president or the deputy senate president would amount to usurping the powers that was abinitio meant for the National Assembly. An imposition of power will degenerate Nigeria to dictatorial tendencies, it is going to lead to tyrant and oppression and bring to mockery the principles of separation of power.

“It is pertinent that all politicians and political parties and the president-elect, allow the Constitution to be executed so that Nigeria will not be a mockery in the history of nations”

Gabriel however noted that the coalition had been observing with keen interest the grouping and regrouping, horse-trading, lobbying and power play associated with the election of the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10″ National Assembly respectively. 

“The major function of the Civil Society is to essentially act as the watchdog of the society. in other words, remaining docile at this critical time of our democratic trajectory would amount to allowing old mistakes of the past which has retarded our democracy till date to keep repeating itself” 

10th Assembly: CSOs Urge President-elect to Beware of Anti-democratic Forces

*Seek level playing ground for legislators

Juliet Akoje in Abuja. 

A coalition of civil society group has urged the president elect to be weary of some antidemocratic forces around him who are only trying to cajole him to interfere in a function exclusively provided for the legislators by the Nigerian Constitution. 

Addressing the press yesterday in Abuja, the Director General for the Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness, Dr. Nwambu Gabriel said that these merchants of anti-democratic forces were hiding under the guise of the President elect to do their own personal and selfish biddings, which is inimical to our nations democracy. 

The group also  appealed to the President elect, Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu to tow the line of honour and provide a level playing ground for the legislators to exercise their function as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

Gabriel stated that “On Monday, the 8” of May 2023 was climaxed by a melancholy alleged to have emanated from the national working committee (NWC) of a political party, allotting some principal positions in the Senate and House of Representatives to some individuals. This announcement has been hit by swift resistance from most members elect of the 10 National Assembly as they believe that such announcement amounts to an imposition of candidates thereby usurping the powers of the parliament, undermining its sovereignty and independence of the legislature.

“Those who crafted the word democracy and indeed separation of powers. The idea is to have an independent arm of government called the legislature for the purpose of providing ‘checks and balances’ in such a manner to avoid the concentration of powers in one body as this would lead to usurpation of powers and consequently degenerate to dictatorship, tyranny and operation”

He argued that “the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) is superior to every other document including the Senate and House Rules respectively. Section 50 (1a) and (1b) is simple, unambiguous and clear. This states that “there shall be (a) a President and a Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves; and (b) a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.

“This simply implies that any other person or persons or group of persons nominating the principal officers of both houses other than the representatives themselves is null, void and unconstitutional, therefore amounts to an aberration which is tantamount to usurping the powers of the legislators thereby exposing the fragile democracy of Nigeria to jeopardy”. 

The group.fuether said: “We can not be talking about a ‘New Nigeria’, where things are done the right way and we are still seeing the imposition of candidates in our legislators principal offices. If the President elect wants to win the support and interest of Nigerians , then he should be seen to be doing things differently from the old ways to a new Nigeria.

“Again, during the APC Presidential primary election, several prominent Nigerians purchased the nomination forms including the outgoing Vice President of Nigeria and the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan. At a time, some persons even anointed the Senate President as the consensus candidate. This received very stiff resistance, opposition and condemnation from several quarters. A level playing ground was provided by President Mohammadu Buhari and Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu contested against all odds and won the primaries landslide”.

He further stressed that, “As CSOs, we are not interested in who emerges as the speaker or deputy speaker or the senate president or the deputy senate president. Our interest is that there is a provision in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and it is a document that is superior to any other document including the house rules or the senate rules.We are saying that since it is a constitutional provision, that the political party to which the president-elect belongs, should allow the constitution to be executed to the letter.

“We are saying that an interference in the process of electing the speaker, deputy speaker, the senate president or the deputy senate president would amount to usurping the powers that was abinitio meant for the National Assembly. An imposition of power will degenerate Nigeria to dictatorial tendencies, it is going to lead to tyrant and oppression and bring to mockery the principles of separation of power.

“It is pertinent that all politicians and political parties and the president-elect, allow the Constitution to be executed so that Nigeria will not be a mockery in the history of nations”

Gabriel however noted that the coalition had been observing with keen interest the grouping and regrouping, horse-trading, lobbying and power play associated with the election of the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10″ National Assembly respectively. 

“The major function of the Civil Society is to essentially act as the watchdog of the society. in other words, remaining docile at this critical time of our democratic trajectory would amount to allowing old mistakes of the past which has retarded our democracy till date to keep repeating itself”