The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed for second reading a bill for smooth transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another.
“The bill for an Act to provide for smooth and orderly transfer of power from one government to another; and for other matters related thereto,” was co-authored by Femi Gbajabiamila and Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama.
In his lead debate, Gbajabiamila explained “the bill seeks to facilitate hitch-free transition of power from one government to another.”
Gbajabiamila blamed series of accusations and counter-accusations recorded during the transfer of power from the previous administration to the incumbent on lack of legal framework to guide the process.
According to him, the bill makes provision for both a serving president and the president-elect to have their teams on both sides who will ensure a smooth transition process.
“This is necessary for them to review the handover notes and acquire knowledge of the activities of ministries, departments and agencies,’’ he said.
Gbajabiamila added that a section of the bill had a provision for the creation of the office of Administrative General who shall see the transition process after every general election.
On his part, Ogbeide-Ihama said the framework would include the documentation and transmission of handover notes from one administration to another, adding that it provided for the publication of same information in the official gazette.
He said: “This will enable every Nigerian to access the performance of the out gone government and know where the incoming government is taking over from. There is no exact place under the law where you can access the past governments and what transpired.”
On his part, Leo Ogor, minority leader, who applauded the intent of the bill, opined that the bill would address a lot of administrative issues related to handing over to successive democratically elected president.
Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara referred the bill to Committee on Justice for further legislative input.
