CNPP alleges APC moves to foist another rubber stamp principal officers on NASS

respect for the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances among the arms of government is the basic foundation for good governance.

“But since 1999, healthy system of checks and balances have not been fully upheld in the interest of the Nigerian people.

“For the incoming administration to meet its basic duty of ensuring the security and welfare of the people, each branch of government should be allowed to exercise its powers of oversight because the relevance of separation of powers and its implications for good governance cannot be overemphasised.

“Therefore, it will be in the best interest of the incoming administration to prioritise meeting the very many expectations of the people by upholding the doctrine of separation of powers and checks and balances as well as promoting inclusiveness, especially in compositions of the incoming cabinet.”

10th Assembly Speaker: Take advantage of Betara’s polarity - Group

By Christiana Ekpa

Acivil society group, Movement for Effective Legislature and Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria (MELSDN) has charged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to take advantage of the general acceptability of the frontline contender for the House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara, across political parties and threw its queue behind him to Speak for the 10th Assembly.

The group, in a statement made available to journàlists on Sunday in Abuja, said the legislature, being a key arm of government in a democracy, requires serious institutional memory, courage and a strength of character in the person who presides over its affairs.

According to the group, polls conducted nationwide revealed that Betara is the only person who enjoys such a thick clout of respect, credibility and general acceptability across the members-elect of the different parties.

The group, in a statement titled ‘Betara:

APC’s Tool for Budget Cycle Sustainability and Bipartisan Consensus’, signed by the national coordinator, Williams Ndorokpa Martins, said “the Legislature is the key organ of government in a democracy, be it presidential or parliamentary.

“And if the incoming 10th National Assembly will succeed, three factors must be brought into consideration and given greater premiums in our leadership recruitment process, particularly as it affects the 10th House of Representatives. They are: competency, integrity and institutional memory (experience).

“And as the race for the Speakership of the 10th House of Representatives reaches its defining moments, questions have continued to rage regarding the suitability of those who have thrown their hats into the ring. And while all those who have expressed interest in the coveted position have legal rights to such claims, one man has continued to stand out in terms of the impacts his current role in the outgoing Assembly have had in the socioeconomic