NILDS, Media, Lawmakers Adduce reason for low performance of Legislature at National, State Assemblies

 JONAS EZIEKE, Abuja

 

 

The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies NILDS, the House of Representatives Press Corps HoRPC, and the Speaker House of Representatives Hon. Femi Gbajabiamilahase blamed the low performance of legislative institutions of government at the national and state levels on the lack of cognate experience in lawmaking of so many lawmakers elected under the ticket of political parties.

 

They also blamed the poor performance of the first institution of democracy the legislature on executive rascality which they explained as the excessive use of state power by elected state governors to determine who gets what when and how during elections.

 

The Director-General NILDS Prof Sulaiman Abubakar, Chairperson of the House Press Corps M.s Grace Ike and the number four citizen canvassed these positions at the Press Week organised by the House Press Corps on Monday at the National Assembly.

 

The DG a professor of Political Science and former Minister of National Planning said that the low performance of the legislature is due to the high turnover of lawmakers at the national and state houses of assemblies which have been a result of lawmakers’ failure to secure the party’s nomination.

 

He noted that in Nigeria political parties remain the vehicle through which candidates including members of the legislature contest and elections to various elective positions in the country

 

He further stated that at the parties selection stage, therefore many of the legislators fail to secure return tickets for so many reasons.

 

He said that the number of lawmakers that may not return to parliament in 2023 after the general election may the highest since our return to democratic rule in 1999 as indicated by the outcome of the party’s primaries across the country.

 

He said: “For example in Lagos State, 20 out of 40 lawmakers are not returning after the party primaries. Indeed records available to NILD indicate that there are states where only five members won their primaries”.

 

He posited that most legislators who failed to secure their party’s primary tickets for the 2023 general election blamed the outcome of the primary on the small number of delegates that determine the fate of candidates all over the country.

 

The erudite scholar also pointed out that most parties refused to give their return tickets to serving legislators due to rotation arrangements not within the various constituencies.

 

He also blamed the low performance of the legislature on what he called executive rascality in which case some elect governors nor continue to dictate the selection of principal officers of the legislature, lawmaking proceeds and finance disbursement of the parliament

 

He said that the issue f h h turnout of lawmakers in the national and state legislatures is a thing to be worried about adding that about 70-80 percent of lawmakers in the current 9th National Assembly may not return to their seats.

 

Similarly, Speaker of the House of Representatives Gbajabiamila said that the high turnover of lawmakers is a serious national problem that is affecting the performance of the legislatures at the national and state levels.

He further stated that the best legislators are the ones with a high degree of legislative and his experience lawmakers are not usually returned to parliament after general elections.

 

The Speaker represented by the House Deputy Leader Hon.Peter Akpatason also deplored what he said is executive rascality saying: ‘if et of of people who are more powerful than other key players in the democratic process, this is what you get”.

In his contribution Spokesman of the House Hon. Benjamin Kalu said that is an erroneous perception and rating of the performance of a legislator with the number of bills and motions sponsored by him or her by his constituents.

 

He called on the media practitioners to always endeavour to showcase and promote the legislator at their various committees and oversight legislative duties.

He also urged the newsmakers to endeavour to promote issue-based campaigns during the political parties’ campaigns ahead of the general polls.

 

Earlier in an address, the Chairperson of the House of Representatives Press Corps Ms. Grace Ike said that since the advent of democracy in 1999, the country has continued to witness a high turnover of lawmakers at every election cycle.

 

She also submitted that the high turnover of lawmakers at the apex legislative institution-the National Assembly and the state houses of assembly is a thing of worry.

 

The media practitioner and other members of the executive of the House Press Corps called for concerted efforts of critical stakeholders to find solutions to this vexatious issue for the effective performance of the legislative houses in Nigeria.

 

 

For a better society

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