Politics
‘Legislators Should Enlighten Nigerians On Legislative Duties
The spokesman for the 2020 National Legislative Conference, Amb. Chibuzor Okereke, says the Legislative Arm of Government must continue to engage in national conversations to sensitise Nigerians to its function, powers and deliverables.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, Okereke, said that the Legislature, which is the youngest of the three Arms of Government had suffered the most under successive military regimes.
He said that the Legislature had also come under serious attacks by Nigerians in recent times, blaming it on lack of proper understanding of the roles of the Legislature in a democratic system of government.
The spokesman said that the theme for the 2020 National Legislative conference, which will hold today, November 30, in Abuja is “Legislative Investigation Powers, Expectations and Challenges and the Way Forward’’.
According to him, the conference is being put together by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with HallowMace Communications Ltd and will bring state and national legislators to discuss salient issues with other stakeholders.
“We are bringing this conference to address the grey areas associated with the powers of the National Assembly.
There are people who ague the content of the investigative powers; we have seen cases where people have queried National Assembly’s investigative powers.
“People are also asking question about the powers of the National Assembly to increase or reduce the national budget.
“But we know that sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution give the National Assembly far reaching powers when it comes to issues of investigation.
“However, there are some schools of thought who argue that the National Assembly are only to expose corruption and most of these issues are in the Executive Arm.
“When the Legislature finishes its work, it still hands over the findings to the Executive for implementation.
“These are the challenges; so the conference will focus on us examing and beaming x-ray lights on how the National Assembly can effectively utilise its investigative powers and also look at the challenges.
“In the most recent hearings, we have seen party stalwarts go and air and asking the Senate President and the Speaker questions like, who is the majority in the National Assembly?
“Why do you have opposition members heading committees that are now embarrassing our government.
“So that perception that any investigative hearing being carried out by the National Assembly is a witch-hunt or if it is being done by a committee headed by the opposition is being done to embarrass the government, these are things to be looked at,’’ he said.
Okereke, who is also the Convener, Nigeria’s Peoples Assembly, said that of the four major functions of the legislature – lawmaking, representation, oversight and constituency services – the oversight function has come under serious scrutiny.
According to him, it is through the oversight function that the assembly institutes public investigative hearing.
Okereke said that since 1999, the National Assembly had conducted many investigative hearings including the most recent ones on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Chinese Loans.
He said that there was a need to ensure that the outcome of such investigations met the demands and exceptions of Nigerians.
”Political interference by the political parties, the political will of the National Assembly to deliver and how open and transparent these process have been and most importantly, what have we done with report of previous investigative hearing.
“And looking at the way forward, it is the committees either standing or ad hoc, that carries out these investigations.
“So how are people appointed into committee either as chairman or as members and how can viable committee members help in conducting very efficient investigative hearing that will deliver the kind of result Nigerians expect.
“Majorly this oversight is put in place to ensure value for money, to ensure that Executives do not abuse their powers and to ensure efficiency in government and curb waste.
“It is important to pay less attention to lawmaking because every Legislative Assembly wants to score themselves on the number of laws they have made.
“But there are key issues about waste, cost of governance, abuse of power, human rights violation and poor delivery of jobs with government fund,” he said
The spokesman said that the keynote speaker for the conference will be the Chairman Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC).
He said that the Senate president and Speaker are the special guests of honour while the Majority Leader of the House of Representative and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami will be speaking at the panel section among others.
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President Bola Tinubu, on Saturday, launched the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign in Kaduna State, beginning the ruling party’s mobilisation for the 2027 general elections.
The campaign rally, held at the Kaduna Township Stadium, attracted Vice-President Kashim Shettima, APC governors, party leaders, federal and state lawmakers, political stakeholders and supporters from across the country.
The flag-off marks the beginning of the APC’s drive to secure a second presidential term for President Tinubu, with the party expected to promote its achievements, defend its economic reforms and outline its policy priorities under the proposed Renewed Hope 2.0 agenda.
Kaduna’s selection for the campaign launch underscores the strategic importance of the North-West, a region with a substantial voting population and considerable influence on presidential election outcomes.
The APC faces a significant challenge in Kaduna, where the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, defeated President Tinubu in the 2023 election. The rally therefore provides the ruling party an opportunity to strengthen its grassroots structures and regain electoral support in the state.
Addressing supporters, Vice-President Shettima appealed to Northern voters, highlighting President Tinubu’s political relationships with prominent Northern leaders, including Alhaji Abubakar, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Vice-President’s appeal reflects the APC’s determination to consolidate its support in the North as the party intensifies preparations for the presidential contest.
The Renewed Hope 2.0 agenda is expected to feature prominently in the campaign, providing a platform for President Tinubu to explain his administration’s economic policies and outline plans for another term.
However, the President’s record on economic reforms, rising living costs, petrol prices, employment, infrastructure and insecurity is expected to attract considerable scrutiny during the electioneering period.
The Labour Party (LP) standard-bearer for Ikwerre State Constituency in Rivers State, Hon. Stasi Amadi, has described the ongoing political reconciliation in Ikwerre Local Government Area as a welcome development capable of promoting unity, understanding and peaceful coexistence among political stakeholders.
Hon. Amadi stated this while speaking with newsmen in the area at the weekend, noting that genuine reconciliation remained necessary for strengthening relationships among political leaders and creating an atmosphere conducive for democratic participation.
She said the reconciliation initiative was borne out of goodwill and should not be interpreted as a setback for the Labour Party’s determination to win the Ikwerre State Constituency seat and bring positive changes to the people of the area.
According to her, the party remained committed to its political aspirations and would continue to mobilise support among the electorate through constructive engagement, people-oriented programmes and a determination to provide effective representation.
Hon. Amadi observed that the Rainbow Coalition was a broad political platform capable of accommodating different interests and tendencies, expressing optimism that the arrangement could provide opportunities for participating political parties to secure elective positions.
The LP candidate said the coming together of political brethren should be celebrated rather than criticised, adding that reconciliation would be more beneficial if it encouraged mutual respect, cooperation and a shared commitment to the development of Ikwerre Local Government Area.
She maintained that the leadership of the Rainbow Coalition was focused on achieving positive changes for the people, stressing that the LP would not abandon its political principles or aspirations because of the ongoing reconciliation process.
According to her, political unity should not prevent individual parties from pursuing their legitimate electoral ambitions, but should, instead, encourage healthy competition, issue-based campaigns and a collective commitment to the welfare of the electorate.
Hon. Amadi said the people of Ikwerre deserved a political environment where leaders prioritised development, improved living conditions, employment opportunities and effective representation rather than allowing political differences to undermine the common interest.
She also called on the police and other relevant security agencies to deploy adequate tactical intelligence before, during and after the 2027 general elections to prevent security breaches and ensure that the electoral process was peaceful and credible.
The LP standard-bearer urged security agencies to remain professional, impartial and vigilant in the discharge of their responsibilities, particularly in identifying potential threats, preventing political violence and protecting voters, electoral officials and other stakeholders.
Hon. Amadi expressed hope that the reconciliation among political stakeholders would strengthen democratic participation in Ikwerre Local Government Area, while assuring the electorate that the LP remained determined to contest the forthcoming election and pursue a positive political future for the people.
By: King Onunwor
A former ally of Senator Seriake Dickson, the National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Hon. Godpower Keku, has vowed to work against the interest of his erstwhile political leader and kinsman in the 2027 general elections.
Hon. Keku also faulted the duo of former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), over their consistent presidential ambitions.
Hon. Keku, who is the Commissioner for Culture in Bayelsa State, served as Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State during Senator Dickson’s tenure as governor of the state.
The Tide further gathered that Hon. Keku hails from the same State Constituency, local government area, and Senatorial District as Senator Dickson.
He described Mr Obi as a destroyer of political parties and alleged that the NDC’s presidential candidate does not build parties, but instigates problems and backs out of them when internal wranglings become aggravated to the detriment of any party he belongs to.
According to him, politicians should be grateful to their political parties and remain consistent to avoid being stereotyped as untrustworthy and disloyal members in order to grow politically.
He also alleged that the National Leader of the NDC once affirmed that he would not field a presidential candidate for the party in the 2027 polls, saying Senator Dickson had been reported to have said, during the initial stages of formalizing the registration of his party, that he was only interested in producing Assembly and governorship candidates prior to the entrance of Mr Obi and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso into the NDC.
The ex-PDP scribe, who described himself a “party man”, restated his loyalty to the Governor Douye Diri-led leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and vowed to deliver all candidates of the party in his constituencies.
“I wonder why Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar still want to contest this election. In fact, Obi is the easiest to win in this election. And I’m begining to suspect that it’s either he is a friend of President Tinubu or he is an enemy. One of these two things must be factual, if not why is he still contesting in the 2027 polls?
“What surprises me most in Obi’s behaviour is the way and manner he destroys political parties with his over- ambitious political interest. After destroying one party he quickly moves to another without helping to rebuild the party he helped destroy.
“My brother and friend, Senator Dickson said he wasn’t interested in fielding presidential candidate for the NDC prior to the registration of Obi and Kwankwaso as members of the NDC.
“Dickson had also said he was only going to field States, National Assembly and governorship candidates in the NDC and work with President Tinubu before the entrance of Obi and Kwankwaso into the NDC”, he said.
“For Atiku, he should remember that it’s the turn of the South to complete their eight years of two terms. Buhari, a Northerner just completed eight years of two terms before handing over to President Tinubu, a Southerner.
Speaking on the performance of the Bayelsa State governor, the Commissioner boasted about the achievements of Governor Diri’s administration, stating that the infrastructural and human capital development projects of the governor would campaign for the APC and ensure victory for the party in the forthcoming elections.
“I’m a party man, and even my brother and friend, Senator Dickson would attest to that fact. I don’t betray and don’t relent in my support for any party I belong to. The APC is my party and Dickson is an NDC member. I can’t work for him or any candidate of his party. I have my integrity and interest to protect as a party man.
“We’ll deliver all APC candidates in my political enclave, because, like I said earlier, Dickson himself knows me as a party man”, he stressed.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells
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