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A coalition of Civil Society Organizations, CSOs under the aegis of Center for Credible Leadership and Citizen Awareness (CCLCA) Friday advised to reason to wise counsel by ensuring that the imposition of candidates carried out by APC NWC is properly addressed.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, the coalition led by the DG of Center for Credible Leadership and Citizen Awareness (CCLCA) Nigeria should shift from the bad ways of doing things by doing the right thing like in other civilised climes.
Nwambu said that Section 50 (1a) and (1b) of the Constitution states clearly that members shall elect the senate president, the speaker and their deputies.
According to him, this simply implies that any other person or persons or group of persons nominating the presiding officers of both chambers other than the members themselves is null, void and unconstitutional.
He said that the announcement of anointed candidates for the leadership of the parliament by the APC has been hit by swift resistance from most members-elect of the 10 National Assembly.
Nwambu said that it amounts to an aberration which is tantamount to usurping the powers of the legislators thereby exposing the fragile democracy of Nigeria to jeopardy.
“We cannot be talking about a new Nigeria where things are done the right way and we are still seeing the imposition of candidates on our legislators.
“If the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu 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.
“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 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 detactorial tendencies, it is going to lead to tyranny and oppression and bring to mockery the principles of separation of power,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Zeb Ijewa, member of the coalition said that as Deputy National Secretary of Alliance for Democracy, he worked with Tinubu who was the only surviving governor of the party then.
He attested that Tinubu is a democrat to the core who fought military dictatorship for the return of democracy.
“I know him as a democrat to the core, I know him as somebody who upholds the principle of democracy.
“When they began to associate him with imposition of candidate, the brought some misunderstanding in my head.
“That is not Tinubu except there are cronies around who trying to use his name to do one thing or the other.
“I want the president-elect to keep the flag flying high, back in Alliance Democracy, he was the only credible opposition to the PDP government and we knew his stand.
“I do not think at this time, he will begin to put his hands in dictatorial issues, picking candidates in the house or senate, no, the parliament should be allow to solve its problems,” he said