10th NASS: 92 CSOs Warn Tinubu, APC Against Imposing Principal Officers

There would be trouble if the principal officers of the 10th National Assembly are imposed, 92 civil society coalition, CSOs, have warned.

The group handed down the warning on Friday during a press conference in Abuja against the backdrop of the announcement of the zoning formula released by the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Monday.

The party through its Spokesman, Felix Morka, had announced the South-south as the beneficiary of the Senate president position with former Minister of Niger Delta as its anointed candidate.

It said the post of the Speaker should be occupied by a member-elect from Kaduna State, Tajudeen Abbas, as its anointed candidate from the Northwest.

The positions of the Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker went to the Northwest and Southeast respectively with Barau Jibrin (APC-Kano) and Benjamin Kalu (APC-Abia) as the anointed candidates.

The zoning has been rejected by aspirants seeking election into the various positions even as non-members of the APC have also kicked against the aspirants anointed by the party.

The group which converged under the banner, “Centre for Credible Leadership & Citizens Awareness”, carpeted the president-elect, Bola Tinubu and the APC for what it called undemocratic tendencies being exhibited towards the formation of the 10th Assembly leadership.

Speaking on behalf of the group, the Director-General of the coalition, Dr Nwambu Gabriel said, “Our Coalition has 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 10th 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 have retarded our democracy to date to keep repeating themselves.

“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 usurping of powers and consequently degenerate into dictatorship, tyranny and operation.

“Now, 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”.

The group pointed out that, “As Civil Society Coalition therefore, we appeal to the President-Elect to tow this same line of honour that produced him as the Candidate of the party and consequently the President-Elect, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“By this medium also, we wish to urge the President-Elect to be wary of some anti-democratic forces around him who are only trying to cajole him to interfere in a function exclusively provided for the legislators by the Nigerian Constitution.

“We hereby advise the President-Elect, Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu to toe the line of honour and provide a level playing ground for the legislature to exercise their function as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria,” the group said.

The group allayed the fears 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 latter.

“We are saying that 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 were ab initio meant for the National Assembly,” the group added.

It stressed that, “An imposition of power will degenerate Nigeria to dictatorial tendencies, it is going to lead to tyranny 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,” the group noted.