The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the decision of the new national ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to impose leaderships for the incoming 8th National Assembly even as the Rights group has cautioned the legislators not to nominate anyone tainted with allegations of fraud whether within or without the shores of Nigeria, and no matter how remotely true such allegations are.

HURIWA has specifically asked the members of the defunct Federal House of Representatives and a reelected member who would represent Surulere Federal Constituency in the incoming Federal House of Representatives Mr Femi Gbajabiamila to clear the fogs surrounding widespread allegations that he was almost debarred from law practice in the United States of America’s state of Georgia for alleged misappropriation of his client’s fund but was saved from the dismissal from practice when he entered a plea bargain with the legal system in the United States of America.

The rights group said the decision by APC to impose Mr Femi Gbajabiamila as the sole candidate for the high office of speaker of the Federal House of Representatives even without him clearing the air, regarding the allegations of his involvement in a fraud case in a foreign jurisdiction, amounted to a rejection of the anti corruption posture of the newly inaugurated President Muhammadu Buhari of the same All Progressives Congress.

HURIWA reminded APC national working committee that there is a reported court case challenging in the Federal High Court the qualification of Mr Femi Gbajabiamila to seek the office of speaker.

On the decision of the party to so impose Senator Lawan as the sole candidate for the position of Senate President in the incoming Senate of the Federal Republic which would be inaugurated on Tuesday, HURIWA said that the process is fraught with irregularities and directly offends the constitutionally recognised doctrine of legislative independence and the time tested and time honoured principle of Separation of Powers.

The group has, therefore, charged the incoming legislators not to let these backyard impositions in the leaderships of the two respective chambers to see the light of the day because that would be a direct affirmation and indeed confirmation that the next National Assembly will be made up of bootlicking sycophantic career politicians who have no genuine and credible agenda on ways and means of rebuilding Nigeria through independent but people-friendly legislations without necessarily being teleguided by the leadership of a partisan political platform.

HURIWA said any leadership imposed in the new national Assembly by a cabal within the ruling party will not win the credibility test because their imposition lacks moral and constitutional supports.

In a statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA, warned that the international image of Nigeria will further nosedive should these impositions be allowed to manifest on the incoming National Assembly and may be made even worst should the All Progressives Congress have their way in forcing down the throats of the National Assembly the Speaker in the person of Mr Femi Gbajabiamila without him (Femi Gbajabiamila) completely coming clean out of these groundswell of allegations that he was once involved in a fraud related matter, which led to a disciplinary hearing that nearly resulted in him losing his professional practicing licence as a solicitor and advocate in the USA.

“It is only in a Banana Republic can we see persons with such heinous criminal charge and/or allegations hanging around their necks becoming such important national figures as occupying the very high office of Honourable Speaker of the National legislature. Is it remotely possible that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila faced disciplinary hearings in the United States over alleged fraudulent diversion and conversion to personal use of his client's $10,000? If there's a shred of factuality in this widely reported allegation then he must stand down and let someone else without blemish to assume such a position, especially in a party that its Presidential candidate won election and has been inaugurated against the backdrop of his sacred pledges to battle corruption of all ramifications.

“We must do as we say and not demand that people do as we say but not as we do. Hypocrisy must be rejected under the current political dispensation,” the group stated.

HURIWA has, therefore, tasked the incoming legislators to be mature enough to on their own select and anoint who amongst them should constitute the hierarchies to pilot their affairs in the coming legislative session.

The Rights group also charged them to guard jealously their parliamentary independence if they are to gain the trust and confidence of their constituents who voted them in.

According to HURIWA, the incoming law makers were voted by their people and not by some cabals and dark forces within their political platform who may be engineering these moves to impose their ‘O-YES’ men as Senate President and Speaker just to achieve the sponsor’s selfish goals.

•Photo shows Onwubiko.

Update news