Northern stakeholders from the 19th Northern states have reiterated that the leadership of the 10th National Assembly should be thrown open instead of zoning it to a particular region, group, or association.
In a communique read by the convener of a one-day colloquium, held at Arewa House, Kaduna, Nasiru Abdulkadir Dambatta, on Saturday noted that “the colloquium finally resolved to call the attention of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be vigilant as political opportunists that surround him have the intent of forming another cabal that will pitch him against his traditional political friends and sections of the country.
“We implore the President-elect to reclaim the people’s confidence in his untainted democratic credentials and commitment to entrenching sustainable democracy, restoring the glory of governance, reclaiming the sanctity of constitutionalism and respect for rule of law by coming out openly to renounce any purported anointment of preferred candidates,” the stakeholders noted.
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According to the communique, the meeting also resolved to follow this up with written presentations to the President-elect and the headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The communique pointed out that “concerned about the disturbances that have been going on ceaselessly since the conclusion of the February 25th presidential and National Assembly elections, and the emergence of fresh set of leaders, the Northern stakeholders under the auspices of the Democratic Watch lnitiative organized a one-day colloquium in Kaduna with the theme, “Inclusive Participation for sustainable Democracy” under the Chairmanship of former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
“It noted that while there is no better system of government than democracy, there is also no better way to produce leaders than democratic process of free and fair elections.
“It observed that the current attempt to impose leaders on people of undoubtful maturity, and proven experience elected to represent their various constituencies in the incoming 10th National Assembly, amounts to a brutal encroachment on the sanctity of the legislature, blatant subversion of popular will and a distant deviation from the democratic principle of separation of powers between executive, the legislature and the Judiciary.
“The meeting wondered why the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, itself a product of democratic election and which subjected its presidential ticket contest to elections, should now be the same party attempting to manipulate the system to one of selection and imposition.
“The colloquium, therefore, condemned the stubborn insistence on the resort to old tactics of imposing leaders on institutions as important as the National Assembly by the National Working Committee of the under its Chairman Abdullahi Adamu,”
According to the communique, the one-day colloquium resolved to categorically impress the necessity for inclusive participation, respect for statutory autonomy of such organs of government as the legislature as the only basis for sustainable democracy.
“The meeting understood that a leadership of the National Assembly independently and willingly produced by the members themselves, for themselves, would douse all the deliberately created regional tension and foster strong understanding and cooperation among the distinguished and honourable members.
“The meeting recognized that the North, at the expense of candidates from the region, provided the bulk of the votes that combined with votes from other sections of the country, secured victory for the APC and a southern candidate.
“It acknowledged the justification in the agitation from the North for an appropriate reward for its commitment and steadfastness,” it added.
They, therefore, resolved to encourage all contestants, to all positions, from whatever region, religion or zone, never to relent on their contests and insist on level grounds for elections as the only reasonable and acceptable option.
“We insist in this regard, that Abdul-Azeez Yari and all other contestants to the Senate Presidency be given their fair constitutional right to franchise alongside others from the Southern part of the country.
“Abbas Tajudeen, Betara, all candidates for the House of Representatives Speakership from the North, should also be encouraged to subject their aspirations to voting.
“We, however, caution that the capacity, character, and competence should take priority above every other consideration during the voting process and call the candidates that lose to concede honourably and cooperate with those that win in order to make progress,” it stressed.
