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Ex-Senate President blames governors for Legislative turnover

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By John Akubo, Abuja

Former senate president, Ameh Ebute has blamed governors for high turnover of legislators, which he said is not good for the advancement of democracy.

He, however, advocated for review of the 1999 Constitution to checkmate the “unlimited powers” of the governors.

Speaking in Abuja at the 2022 edition of the National Legislative Conference with the theme: “Reflections on Legislative Turnover, Institution-building and Governmental Accountability” organised by the Hallowmace foundation, Ebute advocated for the amendment of the sections of the 1999 Constitution dealing with the elections of senators and members of the House of Representatives, as well as the State Assemblies.

He said: “The impunities and the criminal breaches of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution are being committed by the governors and to which the State Legislators close their eyes.

“The USA whose presidential system we copied from 1979 has no state assembly or state congress. The states only have state senates. I therefore summon the courage and audacity to advocate for the complete abolition of the state legislatures and the offices of the state chief executives, so as to have only two tiers of government in Nigeria namely federal and local governments.

“What we have in Nigeria today is the unjustified conspiracy of the state executives against the Federal Government to block any proposed amendment of the provisions of the Constitution or any federal government policies that do not favour them through their unchallenged control of the state legislatures whose speakers and other principal officers are immediately impeached if they dare raise their eyebrows against state executives.

“Assuming the office of the state executive is retained, state legislatures should be replaced by state senate as it is in the US whose system we copied.”

He said under the new normal the state senators will be appointed or selected by traditional rulers who have been clamouring for participation in the governance of their country.

He said, “The state senators appointed by the traditional rulers will be able to call the state executives to order. In fact, for now there is no end to poverty in Nigeria, indeed poverty will get to dying points because the people’s money is being squandered uncontrollably by the state executives who do not have the fear of God or compassion for the rural teachers, pensioners and their families who die of any minor illnesses because they have no money/salaries to go to hospitals.

“Again end to poverty in Nigeria is not in sight as the Federal Government allocation to the local governments are arrogantly and shamelessly captured and added to their own allocation all of which are expended on frivolities to contest election to the senate.

“As the money for the local government councils does not go there because the state executives had conspired to stop the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution granting autonomy to the local councils, poverty will increase and more citizens will rapidly pass on.

“By this method it becomes much easier for the governors either at the national or state level to decide and determine which legislators return and which do not return to the Assembly.

“The party officials in collaboration with the chief executives, for one reason or another, deny the re-contesting legislators who were vocal and offered constructive criticism of government policies, nomination to return to the legislatures.
This makes the rapidity and ease with which our legislators are unconventionally turned over in Nigeria ridiculous and unprecedented in the practice of representative democracy in the world.

“This ridiculous method of legislative turnover in Nigeria applies to the election of the leaderships of the legislatures by regular impeachment.

“Within the period of 8 years of the practice of our democracy from 1999 to 2007, we had five Senate Presidents due to interference by the chief executive of the federation.

“In the State House of Assembly impeachment of the speaker and other principal officers is as easy as ABC. This paints a very ugly picture in the legislative turnover in Nigeria.

“This is not so in America, whose Presidential System of Government we copied in 1979. In America, their Constitution provides for staggered elections to the congress whereby one third or half of the legislators go for re-election at every end of the legislative period, leaving the seats of the remaining legislators to wait for another election period.

“By this method, legislators who had acquired experience are preserved in the congress and those who succeed in their re-election bids return to meet their colleagues in the congress thereby paving a smooth way for the consolidation and concretisation of the legislature as an institution.

Culled from the Guardian

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Ondo Governorship Primaries: APC commends Ododo over peaceful conduct

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo for his impressive performance in the just concluded Ondo State Governorship primary election where he served as chairman of the committee.
Special adviser on media to the Governor Ismai Isah in a statement indicated that Governor Ododo received the commendation while presenting the report of the Ondo state APC primary election committee to the party’s national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.

Receiving the committee’s report from Governor Ododo, Dr. Ganduje congratulated the Governor for a job well done and noted that the party is proud of the performance of the Kogi State Governor for the conduct of the Ondo State Governorship primary election which he noted was the first national assignment of the Governor.

The APC national chairman praised the extraordinary leadership skill and impeccable manner the Kogi State Governor managed the Ondo State APC Governorship primary election, adding that the Collation of results from the 203 wards and the 18 Local Government areas of the state that was viewed live on national television was a rare display of transparency and integrity of the entire election process.

Earlier in his presentation, Governor Ododo thanked the APC National Working Committee for finding him and his committee members worthy of the all important national assignment.

The Governor stated that the committee’s report took cognizance of everything that transpired during the primary election and it contains recommendations that will enable the party to deal with the aftermath of the Ondo State Primary election and ensure that the APC goes into the November governorship election as a united party ready to retain power in Ondo State.

Governor Ododo was accompanied to the presentation of the report by the Secretary to the Committee, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Kogi State APC Chairman, Honourable Abdullahi Bello, House of Representative Member Representing Ajaokuta Federal Constituency, Honourable Abdulrahim Egidi and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barr. Deedat Ozigi Salami, and some of his senior aides.

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Ondo 2024: Emami admonishes Aiyedatiwa to Seek support of aggrieved aspirants

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***Says APC stands to win
with genuine reconciliation

Seek for genuine reconciliation with all the aggrieved aspirants who contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election Chief Ayirimi Emami, has admonished the Ondo State Governor and winner of the party’s ticket in last weekend governorship primary, Lucky Aiyedatiwa,

In the primary election conducted by a team led by Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, his colleague, Governor Aiyedatiwa was declared winner having polled 48, 569 in the Direct Primary exercise to defeat all the other 15 aspirants.
Some of the aspirants have since kicked against the outcome of the election, alleging that the Governor Ododo team did not follow the party’s guidelines and laid down procedure
The APC chieftain who congratulated Governor Aiyedatiwa, described his victory at the primary as testament of his impactful governance for the few months he has taken over as governor of Ondo state.
He urged him to broker peace with the aggrieved aspirants, accomodate them in the course of his campaigns for the overall interest of the APC and development of the oil producing state.
While he maintained that Governor Aiyedatiwa posture should be a no victor, no vanquished towards the other aspirants on the outcome of the primary, Chief Emami, said the cooperation of other aspirants would make the Party victory seamless and accelerate the developmental strides being witnessed in the state.
He equally appealed to other aspirants that contested the APC governorship primary to sheathe their sword and support the candidacy of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Some of the contenders for the ticket won by Governor Aiyedatiwa included
senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Jimoh Ibrahim; Olusola Oke SAN, former President of Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Francis Faduyile, a mechanical engineer, Dr Funmilayo Waheed-Adekojo and the National Vice Chairman of the APC (South APC (South West), Isaac Kekemeke.

Others were Dr Soji Ehinlanwo, Akinfolarin Samuel, Okunjimi Odimayo, Adewale Akinterinwa, Olugbenga Edema and Brig. Gen. Ohunyeye Olamide (retd), Morayo Lebi, Oladiran Iyatan and Engnr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele.

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Concerned Kano Progressives throw weight behind Ganduje

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***Alerts President Tinubu over Kwankwaso’s scheming to destabilize APC

From Mohammed Abubakar Minjibir

A Kano-based political think-tank, the CONCERNED KANO PROGRESSIVES, {CKP} has vowed to do everything humanly possible to support ongoing efforts of the national Chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to reposition the party and encourage all elected representatives on the platform of the APC to manage the gains of their respective, electoral successes.
Similarly, the KCP, have also vowed to checkmate, what its members, have described as , “the infantile and highly dysfunctional thought-processes being elicited by one-time civilian Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Kwankwaso, in his drift towards political mischief-making against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “.
These views, were contained in a Media statement issued to newsmen on Sunday, by the National Coordinator of CKP Alhaji Mohammed Z. Abubakar.
The CKP stated that, “Anybody who knows Alhaji Kwankwaso and his conditioned behaviour towards matters of political socialization processes and mentorship, can attest to his high affinity for not only being domineering, high-handed, self-opinionated but abnormally dictatorial in the way and manner he relates with his peers, eminent political leadership figures and sundry loyal party members.”
The statement explained further that, “Alhaji Kwankwaso, is believing that he has the nationwide capacity to swing the sociology of the voter-behaviour of the larger Nigerian voting electorate come 2027, to actualize his animated ambition of becoming the President of Nigeria.”
The CKP, said that Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s self-inflated ego, is what is perhaps, leading him into nursing the faulty impression-formation disposition that, apart from the entire northern electorate, “voting” massively for him under the NNPP, the social and political rating which President Tinubu presently enjoys, is far below his self-proclaimed social and political stratification rating, which, has given him the pseudo courage to embark on his ongoing secret plans to destabilize the All Progressives Congress by using his NNPP political party platform to achieve his ambition of becoming president of Nigeria in 2027.
According to the CKP spokesman, Alhaji Mohammed Z. Abubakar, “Alhaji Kwankwaso’s hope of executing his plan of action is largely reliant and premised on the funding from his political stooge, the current Governor of Kano State, who will never dare defy the directives of Alhaji Kwankwaso, his father in-law and mentor.
Alhaji Kwankwaso, according to the Progressives, “uses the Kano State Executive Governor, Alhaji Abba Yusuf, as a willing instrument to prosecute his current thinly disguised agenda to blackmail and demonise the APC National Chairman, Alhaji Ganduje, and his party in such a way as to destroy the APC brand before the next general elections in 2027.
The Progressives, have therefore humbly advised President Tinubu and APC members nationwide to be on the alert about the scheming of Alhaji Kwankwaso.

The organisation indicated that, “the unfolding pockets of mischief-making ploys, antics and deviant behavioural traits being orchestrated by the former Governor of Kano State, Dr Kwankwaso and the current NNPP government led by Alhaji Abba Yusuf, to tarnish the good image and reputation of both the ruling APC and its National Chairman, Dr. Ganduje, will fail. “We stand resolutely in solidarity with Dr. Ganduje”, the statement concludes.

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