National Assembly: Anti-zoning group condemns alleged plan to arrest Betara, Yari

A Civil Society Organisation, Northern Alliance for Democracy, has called on the ruling  All Progressives Congress to wash its hand off the selection of principal officers at the National Assembly.

The group said the lawmakers are empowered by the constitution to choose their leaders as against the practice in the country.

They also raised the alarm of a witch-hunt of the duo of Aliyu Betara and Abdulaziz Yari, who are aspirants for the House of Representatives Speaker and Senate President, respectively.

“We gathered from sources close to the ruling party that some powerful elements in the leadership of the party have vowed to get the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission, the Department of State Services, and the Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission, to threaten, intimidate and invite the duo for questioning on trumped-up charges with a view to frustrating their aspirations,”  the group said in a statement on Tuesday jointly signed by its Secretary, Bala Sarki, and President, Jubril Mohammed.

They called on Nigerians to resist the attempt to plunge the 10th National Assembly into crisis.

The statement partly read, “We note that the quickest way to compromise the independence and integrity of the legislature, and thereby subvert democracy, is this propensity by the ruling parties over the years to select leaders for the National Assembly, rather than allow the members elect their leaders in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.

“We remember that the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party  under

President Olusegun Obasanjo to select leaders of the 4th Senate between 1999 and 2003 degenerated into serial crises that resulted in four Senate presidents within four years. Under President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP administration had a problem with the 7th House of Representatives when its selections for Speaker and Deputy Speaker failed to win on the floor. And only recently in the 8th Senate, the failed attempt by the APC to impose a senate president caused a crisis of trust and confidence between the 8th National Assembly and the Presidency.

“We call on Nigerians to be on alert and not allow undemocratic elements to sow the seed of crisis so early in the 10th National Assembly, so the new government is not distracted from delivering on its promises to the people.”