Civil Society Groups Condemn Attempts to “Kill the Legislature”
Agroup of civil society organisations on Thursday marched “against an attempt to kill the legislature,” while urging Nigerians to rise up in defence of democracy and condemn the latest affront against the National Assembly by “executive boy.” The group at a rally held at the premises of the National Assembly to show discontent over the Executive/Legislature faceoff, warned that any attempt to “intimidate lawmakers and undermine the independence of the legislature,” will spell doom for ormer Lagos State governor and All Progressives Congress national stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has congratulated the immediate-past governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, for turning 65, saying the former governor still has a lot to contribute to the nation.
Oshiomhole clocked 65 on Tuesday, April 4. Tinubu said Oshiomhole has attained an “impossible-to-ignore status of eminence” in the country.
In a letter sent to Oshiomhole and personally signed by Tinubu, the APC national leader said: “My dear Comrade,
It is a great pleasure for my family and I to join your teeming admirers and well-wishers to rejoice and thank God with you on the commemoration of your 65th birthday on Tuesday, April 4, 2017.
“Your journey on this terrestrial sphere so far has been a truly remarkable and inspiring one. Surely, you are not to be counted among those who were lucky either to be born great or to have greatness thrust on their laps on a platter of gold. Rather, you have attained an impossible-to-ignore status of eminence in our immensely blessed country in your three scores and a half years through sheer determination, perseverance, resilience, commitment, discipline, focus democracy.
A statement jointly signed by Ariyo-Dare Atoye, Co-Convener, Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution (CDNDC), Jude Chijioke Ndukwe Convener, Movement for the Advancement of National Transformation (MANTRA) and Prince Deji Adeyanju, Convener, Concerned Nigerians. reads: “Today, we march against the attempt to kill the legislature and undermine democracy in Nigeria as it has become highly imperative for us to be vigilant about the relentless insistence of anti-democratic forces to bring and hard work.
“From the shop floor of the textile industry, you pulled yourself up by the bootstraps and through consistent courage, integrity and fidelity to truth as well as the best interest of Nigerian workers, you rose through the ranks to establish yourself as easily the most outstanding national labour leader of contemporary times. Your successful trajectory from trade unionism to party politics is indeed a unique one, made more notable by your emergence as elected governor of Edo State.
“I most certainly speak the minds of millions of members of our great party when I say that your outstanding performance as two-term governor of Edo State from 2008 to 2016 remains a reference point and a source of pride to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Apart from skilfully steering the ship of state and charting the course for Edo, the ‘heartbeat of the nation’ for eight years, you demonstrated your innate leadership endowment by identifying, nurturing and handing over to a worthy and capable successor well placed to take Edo to greater heights from where you stopped.
“At 65, you still brim with energy, dynamism and vibrancy while your mind continues to bubble with ideas ever so useful for national development. our highly cherished freedom and democracy to their knees.
“While we insist that the National Assembly (NASS) open its books for public scrutiny and ensure transparency in all its activities, make laws that would improve the lives of the people they represent and repeal any law that serves only the interests of a few highly placed citizens to the detriment of a majority of the people, we call on the executive and its agents to respect the rule of law guiding its working relationship with the National Assembly.
“It therefore becomes ours and the responsibility of every patriotic and democracy loving Nigerian to protect and defend our hard earned democracy against those trying to return us to the very dark days of the military era.
“We wish to state that Nigerians are very much aware that the current onslaught against the National Assembly is nothing but just a puerile battle for 2019, and nothing based on good governance or interest of the people!
“We can no longer afford the luxury of these unnecessary distractions. While the executive concentrates on attacking the national assembly, they left their guard open and allowed meningitis to avoidably claim hundreds of lives of Nigerians who depended on them for action against such diseases. This is absolutely unacceptable!
“This unholy attempt to kill our legislature must stop now!
“Need we remind all those working to undermine the legislative arm of government that this arm is the bastion of democracy and the pedestal on which every democracy, whether presidential, parliamentary or any other form of democratic government stands, and that any attempt to weaken it is an attempt to subvert democracy?
“No one should attempt to kill the national assembly simply because they do not like the faces of one or two persons there or simply because of the fact that they are doing their job. Doing so would just be like asking to kill the judiciary for freeing, discharging and acquitting Chief Mike Ozekhome, Elder Godsday Orubebe, Justice Adeniyi Ademola and others in quick succession.
“We will therefore not be surprised if the Sagays, Falanas and other cronies of the executive arm start to cast aspersions on the judges and call for mass actions against the judiciary for doing their job.