Ahead of Tuesday’s inauguration of the 10th Assembly, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has reiterated that the National Assembly should be allowed to elect its presiding officers.
Recall that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had endorsed Senator Godswill Akpabio (South-south) as the president of the 10th Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau (North-west) as Deputy Senate President; and Hon. Tajudeen Abass (North-west) as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Hon. Ben Kalu (South-east) has Deputy.
However, the endorsement of the quartet had not stopped others aspiring for various principal positions in the 10th Assembly to shelve their ambition.
But speaking during a media interaction on Saturday in Abuja, the Convener of NEF, Prof. Ango Abdulahi insisted that the constitution of the land provides for three arms of government independent of each other, adding that as such, the legislative arm should be allowed to elect its leaders.
His words: “Our constitution provides for three autonomous branches of government. Not that they should not work together, but they can work together in the overall interest of the country.
“They serve as some kind of oversight checks depending on what is happening in other branches of government. So the constitution is very clear about the separation of powers between the executive branch, the legislative arm and the judiciary.”
Abdulahi noted that in electing 10th Assembly Presiding Officers on Tuesday, the constitution should be strictly adhered to by all concerns.
Abdulahi stated: “National Assembly is an autonomous body that is supposed to decide not just his leadership, but also its mode of operation as long as it is within the larger frame of the constitution of this country.
“So, if we’re going to be honest and give advice to people who care about this country, the National Assembly members-elect should be left entirely alone to decide who their leaders will be.”
The elder statesman pointed out that the issue of the 10th Assembly was not about the ruling party, but allowing the process to take its full course.
According to him, And this course is for the members-elect to determine who the leaders will be through the process that has been agreed by them in their chambers.