Coalition for Good Governance Network (C2G-Network), a civil society organisation, has issued a call to action to President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging him to listen to the voice of reason being expressed by President Muhammadu Buhari regarding the independence of the legislature.
The Civil Society Organisation (CSO) praised President Buhari for his revelation on Thursday, in which he stated that from the moment of his election in 2015 and subsequently, he supported the idea of an independent National Assembly, in particular “one that is able to decide its Leadership and develop its agenda in line with the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress (APC),” and that this was an admirable move that should be emulated by the incoming President Tinubu in the interest of constitutional democracy in Nigeria.
In a press statement issued on Friday in Abuja, the National Coordinator of the group, Michael Musa, and Secretary, Ajayi Bello, praised President Buhari for making such a revelation at this time. However, they also called on Tinubu to refrain from meddling in the affairs of the legislature like Buhari and instead promote a culture of mutual respect and collaboration among the various arms of government to foster good governance for Nigerians.
“The Coalition for Good Governance Network (C2G-Network) applauds President Muhammadu Buhari for his forthrightness at this crucial moment in his stewardship. We urge the incoming President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to follow in the footsteps of the previous President and be a proponent of mutual respect among the three branches of government in order to ensure good governance for all Nigerians.
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“It is noteworthy to point out that many people had the mistaken belief that President Muhammadu Buhari had forced the current presiding officers onto the 9th National Assembly in 2019,” the article states. This assertion could not be further from the truth, as the outcomes of extensive consultations, which contributed to their acceptability and performance.The fact that Mr. President did not try to impose his will on anyone was demonstrated by the results of the elections for presiding officers of the 8th National Assembly in 2015. He realised his mistake, and by 2019, he was advocating for the idea of consensus candidates as a way to avoid acrimony and not call into question the autonomy of the legislature.
“What we are witnessing in 2023 is a different and unhealthy scenario – it is the imposition of candidates by the President-elect and people close to him, including Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, who benefited from real consensus in 2019, without consultation with relevant stakeholders as admitted by the APC National Chairman. “What we are witnessing in 2023 is the imposition of candidates by the President-elect and people close to him, including Mr. This is both undemocratic and unparliamentary, and those who are concerned need to listen to President Muhammadu Buhari’s voice of reason because “a stitch in time saves nine,” as they put it in their statement.