Nigerians are calling for an immediate constitutional amendment aimed at reducing the authority of the President and initiating the swearing-in of National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly members prior to Presidential and Governorship elections…CONTINUE READING....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Lawyers, activists, and concerned citizens who shared their views with Saturday Vanguard over the weekend emphasized that the present-day lawmakers in Nigeria are largely influenced by the President and state Governors, resulting in an excessive concentration of power.
They argued that Nigeria is currently facing a critical juncture with its existing democratic structure, and stressed the necessity of a clear separation of powers among the three branches of government, asserting that democracy cannot effectively function without this separation. Furthermore, there is a strong desire among Nigerians to reform the electoral system.
Dr. Akpo Mudiaga-Odje, a constitutional lawyer and activist based in Warri, expressed his concerns about the situation, stating, “We urgently need a constitutional amendment to first swear in the national and state legislatures before conducting Presidential and Governorship elections.
Leadership positions in the legislature should be determined through a transparent secret ballot, as was done in the historic 1993 presidential elections.”
He added, “The leadership’s background and integrity should be thoroughly examined, ensuring they have the capacity for independent decision-making, even in the face of executive pressure.
We, as voters, must collectively strive to elect individuals with a strong moral character into the legislature. Additionally, the legislature could be made part-time and rendered less financially attractive to reduce the influence of the executive branch on its leadership.”
Clarkson Otu, a lawyer and former Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Cross River State, pointed out, “The Nigerian presidential system of government is an anomaly. Such a system is virtually non-existent elsewhere, except in certain dictatorships.”
