A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said members of the executive should desist from interfering in the election of presiding officers of the National Assembly.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, Dogara said any democracy that cuts itself off from checks and balances would die a premature death.
The former lawmaker said the legislature does not need to stand against the executive to make its point known, adding that the era of members of parliament fighting the Presidency is long gone.
He said: “Taking the position we are advocating requires resistance. Now, resistance is not by comfort, it entails suffering and sacrifice and when you resist, you tend to lose a lot.
“Any democracy that cuts itself off from checks and balances severs its lifeline and then bleeds to death.
“Why should someone who has been elected into an executive position seek to control the emergence of the leadership of the parliament that is supposed to be independent?
“Without sounding a bit pessimistic, I believe that the days of standing up to tyranny in the legislature have long faded. These days, no road to Damascus moment here. I think redemption or salvation is very far.
“In most cases, as legislators, some of us who have stayed there for long know those who have the onions and trust and capacity to exercise leadership on our behalf.
“When it comes to determining this, whether from the point of view of the executive or political parties, in most cases, what they [executive] do is just sit down there without proper consultation with the membership and say this person must be the presiding officer, based on their own completely extrinsic consideration, without regard to the feeling of members.”
OsunDaily News recalls that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had nominated Senator Godswill Akpabio as the candidate for the Senate President, and Senator Jibrin Barau as the Deputy Senate President.
Also, the ruling party and President Bola Tinubu chose Tajudeen Abbas as the candidate for the Speaker, while Benjamin Kalu was nominated as the Deputy Speaker.
However, despite the opposition to the APC’s nominations from other interested lawmakers, Akpabio and Abbas eventually emerged as the Senate president and the Speaker respectively.
