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Leaders of the South and Middlebelt have condemned the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Executive for their flagrant disregard for the legislative arm of government.
The leaders drawn from the four geopolitical zones of the South-South, South East, South West and Middle Belt condemned what they called gross deterioration in governance resulting in endless spate of killings, disregard for rule of law and contempt for the legislature.
They also sought the immediate immediate approval of the much canvassed restructuring of government.
This development comes as Senate President Bukola Saraki, expressed concerns about the economic consequences of the increasing abuse of the concept of Rule of Law agents of the executive arm of government.
Saraki said that the effort to attract foreign investment by the Federal Government would never yield fruits in the face of ceaseless abuse of due process and rule of law.
The leaders stated this on Thursday in Abuja when a high level delegation of group led by Edwin Clark visited the leadership of the Senate.
Speaking on behalf of the body, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Nnia Nwodo, said the recent invasion of the Senate by thugs that forcefully snatch the mace of the Red Chamber and the refusal of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to honour the summons of the Senate were clear examples of the Executive’s disregard for the institution of the National Assembly.
Nwodo noted the decline in the economy as a result of serious disorders in the functioning of government.
“We have come at a time when our economic stability is in serious decline. Today our international debt is perhaps one of the highest as adjudged by the IMF. Our domestic debt is high and growing by the day. Our subsidy indebtedness is something that has defied solution and transparency”
He said a restructured Nigeria anchored on devolution of power and functional fiscal federalism is the only way out of the crises bedeviling the Nation .
Nwodo said the way out for the country is for the National Assembly to effect devolution of powers through constitution amendment.
According to him, systemic dysfunction is the worst of all the problems confronting the country and infact, the precursor of most of the crises in the land .Our problems emanate from the constitution being presently run in the country as against the ones operated between 1954 and 1966 which gave room for decentralized federation with attendant development- driven or healthy rivalries among the federating units.
“We have been kept down by the kinds of constitution we run which to a large extent , provides for overcentralised federation by way of concentrating powers and resources for running the country at the centre alone to the detriment of the federating units i.e , the 36 states.
“We have watched the helplessness of the National Assembly where members of the executive even refuse your invitations to come and make explanations contrary to provisions of the constitution”.
He added: “We have found the helplessness of the Senate when you can be invaded in spite of the security adornment in this place controlled by the executive and the seat of the Senate President is almost invaded but for the personal security of the aides of its leadership.
“This is because our system makes the tail wag the dog rather than the dog wag the tail. This cannot be in a fountain of legislative authority for executive implementation, and yet they toy with the system.
“We have come to tell you that it is in our view that it is because we have this over-concentration of Powers in the Federal Government contrary to the agreement that our forefathers entered into for the nation called Nigeria. That governance has failed in our country. That economic development has failed”.
He called for the revisit of the power development clause that was rejected in ongoing constitution alteration process as promised by the National Assembly.
He said: “We believe that many of the problems that we have in our country emanate from the constitution of our country. We know that the National Assembly has had debate on devolution of powers and we know, Mr. President, that you did promise the nation that you will have a revisit to this issue.
“We have come to ask you to bring up the revisit. We consider it urgent and inevitable because we believe that all problems we have today in Nigeria emanate from the fact that our constitution is not right for a country constituted by people of diverse culture, diverse religion, diverse political persuasions as our country,” he said.
He noted that “Escalation of disunity and wanton killings in the land not in anyway matched with required equal reaction by security forces , have only one destination which can only be salvaged by restructuring the country so as not to end up singing the ‘nunc dimitis’ for the Nation”,
Nwodo’s submission were corroborated by Ayo Adebanjo who spoke on behalf of South west, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman on behalf of the Middle Belt and Chief Edwin Clerk on behalf of South South geo-political zone.
Specifically, Adebanjo pointed out that the National Assembly should use the report of the 2014 National Conference in effecting the required change.
On his part, Saraki said the National Assembly is ready to play its role to ensure that the country continues on the path of democracy and growth.
He noted that to strengthen democracy, the number one institution Nigerians must defend is the parliament.
He said the 8th National Assembly has been working hard to create enabling environment that will attract investors and that the Federal Legislature would continue along that line.
On the call to revisit clauses that were rejected during the ongoing constitution review process, Saraki said the National Assembly is ready to reconsider the clauses and that it would do so after the passage of the 2018 budget.
Other members of the delegation were Olu Falae, Victor Attah, Stella Omu, Banjo Akintoye, Ayo Adebanjo, Yinka Odumakin, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Chigozie Ogbu, Ihechukwuma Maduke, Bassey Henshaw, Dan Suleiman (rtd) among others.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
