By Cecilia Ogezi (Correspondent, Abuja)
Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in conjunction with Centre for Grassroots Development And Crime Prevention(CGDCP) has called on the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to throw open key positions of the 10th National Assembly, rather than the current zoning arrangements.
The convener of the group, Professor Dosu Malomo, made the call during a media interactive session. He addressed the nation on the 10th National Assembly, post elections and unity issues in Abuja. Malomo emphasized the need for members of the National Assembly to elect the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives without undue interference.
He said the group condemns the unguarded utterances by politicians, religious leaders and ethnic groups, stressing that it must stop to avoid inciting violence in Nigeria. He said politicians should stick to the legal process for redress as provided by the Nigerian legal system.
Professor Malomo noted that the organisation is focused on the promotion of democratic governance, human rights and civic engagement in Nigeria. He also said CGDCP has observed elections since 2007 to encourage transparency and accountability in election monitoring with support from it's global network.
A panelists, executive director, Digicivic Initiative, Mojirayo Ogunlana, reiterated that the rule of law must always be superior to any other rule, pointing out that in section 14 (3) of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 as amended, federal character has to be taken into consideration. She said women representation is also relevant and as such competent women should also be considered for key positions in the Assembly.
Another speaker, convener, Guardians of Democracy and Development Initiative, Igwe Ude-Umanta, stressed that the ruling party should allow for election as the zoning has proved to be contentious, adding that the president of National Assembly should be non partisan so as to allow socio-economic development.
On his part, a scholar, Aliyu Ikaro, urged the citizens to put national interest ahead of personal interests, while also adding that focus should be on merit, competence, capacity and character of candidates. NNL.
