Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday says Nigeria’s democracy is facing existential threat sequel to the spate of incessant impeachment of Speakers of States Houses of Assembly.
Delivering a speech to welcome back lawmakers from the Christmas/New Year break in plenary on Tuesday, the Speaker drew the attention of his colleagues to the recent spate of impeachment of State Houses of Assembly Speakers which he said, portends grave danger to Nigeria’s democracy.
“The recent spate of impeachment of Speakers of Houses of Assembly of States gives cause for grave concern. While we recognise the constitutional right of the legislature to conduct its internal affairs including the right to hire and fire its leadership, it presents a different scenario where such leadership hiring and firing is rife with accusations and insinuations of external influence and also devoid of extant procedure.
“Leaders everywhere can only function efficiently where there is certainty that commendation is the reward for good leadership and sanction the consequence of inept leadership,” the Speaker said.
Dogara argued that Nigerian legislature needs to be afforded an opportunity to blossom if our democracy is to ever mature into adulthood.
Already, the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution is considering bills that will grant financial autonomy to the State Houses of Assembly.
While reacting to the political crisis in Gambia, Dogara who acknowledged the successful conduct of elections in the country, frowned against the decision of the outgoing President Yahya Jammeh who recanted his pledge to hand over power peacefully after losing the elections.
The Speaker who commended the role played by President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of ECOWAS to resolve the crisis, however observed that “the situation in Gambia constitutes a serious dent on the rising profile of the development of democracy on the African continent.
“We wish to commend the President of Nigeria and indeed the leadership of ECOWAS for their principled stance on the matter. The recent official position that ECOWAS will ensure peaceful transition in The Gambia is most reassuring. We understand this to imply peaceful transition simplicita but also the enforcement of peaceful transition should the need arise.
“As a foremost democratic institution, the legislature will stand firmly behind the government of Nigeria as well as ECOWAS in ensuring that no individual leader on the African continent engages in conduct prejudicial to the growth of Africa’s democracy,” Dogara stated.
