CSO knocks APC over ‘ill-advised’ zoning of n’assembly leadership positions

The Parliamentary Advocacy Network (PAN), a civil society organisation, has condemned the nominations of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the leadership of the national assembly.

The ruling party had nominated Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, and Barau Jibrin, senator representing Kano north, as senate president and deputy.

For the house of representatives, APC nominated Tajudeen Abbas, a Kaduna lawmaker, and Benjamin Kalu, an Imo lawmaker, as speaker and deputy.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Anderson Osiebe, national coordinator of PAN, said the legislature is an independent arm of government, and as such, the executive should not interfere in its leadership composition.

The coordinator said lawmakers-elect should not be intimidated to choose their presiding officers.

“We condemn the inherent loopholes in the so-called zoning arrangements of presiding officers’ positions in our national assembly allegedly done by the ruling APC and the president-elect, which have thrown the entire lawmakers-elect, their political parties and the nation at large onto an avoidable collision course,” Osiebe said.

“We, therefore, urge lawmakers-elect to take the destiny of the national assembly as freely entrusted on to them by Nigerians in their on hands, jettison the vexed issue of the ill-advised zoning arrangements in favour of a wholly open contest that will favour popularity, leadership zeal, competence as well as true nationalistic characters and fervour of all candidates for various positions.”

The group asked the lawmakers-elect “to permanently remain resolute and committed to the complete independence of the legislature and to continue to do everything to uphold same during the pendency of the 10th national assembly and the various assemblies in the states and reminds them that they can at all times count on the support of the people and the protection of the law”.