Going by the unfortunate incidences involving our representatives in both the two chambers of the National Assembly which many Nigerians considered a breakaway from the core responsibility of our representatives.
It is on record that previous regimes before the current Buhari led government faced enormous challenges of such magnitude and of different dimensions, but have one way or the other dribbled itself away and overcome them, including by going against the constitutional provisions. The continued showing of negligence, greediness, ineptitude, nonchalant among others is an abrupt derailment from the demands of the Nigerian people for adequate representation towards self-services by our men and women representatives in the National Assembly and even State Assemblies as well. This is a source of concern for the constituents, who in a harsh response vehemently threatened to to process a recall of erring representatives as an alternative to irresponsible representations.
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, stipulates in sections 69-110 that, a member of the Senate, the House of Representatives or the State House of Assembly member may be recall as such a member if; (a) there is presented to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission a petition in that behalf signed by more than one-half of the person registered to vote in that member's constituency alleging their loss of confidence in that member; and (b) the petition is thereafter, in a referendum conducted by Independent National Electoral Commission within Ninety days of the date of receipt of the petition, approved by a simple majority of the votes of the persons registered to vote in that member's constituency. It was this constitutional provisions that empowered Nigerians to address their grievances over any Senator or member House of Representatives and State Assembly member who refused to adequately and responsibly represent them in the National Assembly or State Assembly. Today, the Nigerian political sphere has been heightened to the extent that constituents are beginning to opt for recall to deal with their erring representatives. Such decisions were engineered by the current face-off between the Buhari led executive and Saraki, Dogara led National Assembly. Certain actions of the legislatures in recent times seems inimical to the smooth running of the Nigerian politics and the Buhari change mantra, which many Nigerians believed if supported by the National Assembly, Nigerian quest to greatness will be achieved in no distant time, the current economic hardship a result of the country's year long recession will diminished, and the desired democratic dividend will be delivered. The legislatures were found busy fighting battles of supremacy and relevance, leaving the core objectives of their being in the hallow chambers untouched. The refusal to give attention to 2017 budget which will have been passed by now, approving frivolous bills that had nothing to do with the welfare of the common man, refusing confirmation to presidential nominees and so on are the typical examples of the wrongs in our representatives. Though it cannot be unconnected with the fact that the chambers become a den of people with questionable characters, but the expectations is that whatever the caliber of people the chambers comprised of, they were their to adequately represent the interest of Nigerians.
The time is now that Nigerians shall begin to use the power of recall to deny erring legislatures a leverage to keep being in the State or National Assembly at their detriment. We have seen enough of their rascality and Irresponsibility. Though som constituents have took on to beatings and stones hauling against erring representatives to show their grievances, it is worthy of note that this act alone will not do enough than recalling those that erred intentionally. Recent effort by the Concerned Citizens of Northern Kaduna Senatorial District to begin the process of recalling Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi is a welcome development and what shall have been on course years back. Advocacy groups shall step up in sensitising citizens on the possible ways to present their grievances and achieve a desired results. Constitutional provisions and the rights of citizens on such matters shall be make known to everyone, and constituents must be ready to sacrifice devoid of sectionalism, political affiliation, religion, or ethnicity when it comes to making decisions of national importance, whoever refused to act responsible and equitable in the discharge of his legislative work shall collective be kick out of the way by those who elected him including his kinsmen. The bitter experience shall be a lesson worth learning by Nigerians, that it was only if we were able to choose the good ones among ourselves as our representatives in the Senate, House of Representatives and State Assemblies, our quest for a responsible, qualitative, equitable, and adequate representation in our assemblies will be realised.
Umar MuhammaD
mumarlere@gmail.com
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