. . . Warns groups, says move dangerous for democracy

Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) on Sunday, April 30, 2023, warned that “attempts being made by interested parties loyal to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure the inauguration of another National Assembly with rubber stamp principal officers would be very dangerous for the survival of Nigeria’s democracy.”

The group is insisting that “Nigerians may not be able to endure another four years of Executive-Legislative connivance against the interests and well-being of the masses.”

CNPP’s position is contained in a statement issued by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu.

The umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations in the country noted that “the handwriting can be clearly seen everywhere on the walls by discerning minds and we have uncovered the unholy plot. Hence all democratic forces should be on alert.”

According to the CNPP, “the basic elements of democracy, like the principles of separation of powers and oversights, will be further jeopardized in an event that such selfish and undemocratic clandestine moves towards foisting another rubber stamp legislative arm of government on the people succeed.”

Giving insights into why governments at all levels have been unable to meet the expectations of the people, the CNPP maintained that “no society can make reasonable progress where the legislature and the judiciary pander to the whims and caprices of the executive arm of government.

“This has been the primary reason for the failure of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to keep its campaign promises, particularly resulting to the woeful failure the Federal Government to meet the primary duty of any government, which is to ensure security and welfare of the people.

“As a matter of fact, mutual respect for the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances among the arms of government is the basic foundation for good governance.

“But since 1999, a healthy system of checks and balances have not been fully upheld in the interest of the Nigerian people.

“For the incoming administration to meet its basic duty of ensuring the security and welfare of the people, each branch of government should be allowed to exercise its powers of oversight because the relevance of separation of powers and its implications for good governance cannot be overemphasized.

“Therefore, it will be in the best interest of the incoming administration to prioritise meeting the very many expectations of the people by upholding the doctrine of separation of powers and checks and balances, as well as promoting inclusiveness, especially in compositions of the incoming cabinet.

“It will be detrimental to good governance to allow certain interests currently working to subjugate the National Assembly to the executive arm of government as witnessed in the last four years, where the National Assembly was seen approving all loan requests of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, leaving behind unprecedented debt-burden for generations unborn.

“To this end, the CNPP warns the executive, both the outgoing and the incoming, to allow the legislators to choose their principal officers based on merit without interference, or undue pressure, in the interest of the people.

“We urge the 11th National Assembly to stick to a government of inclusion in all federal appointments to deliberately promote unity and cohesion by adequately reflecting national diversity,” the CNPP stated.

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