The Director General of Abubakar Bukola Saraki Mandate Constituency office, Hon. Abdulwahab Oladimeji Issa has called for onerous effort to strengthen the legislative arm of government in order to uphold the sanctity of democracy.
A statement issued by the Director of Organisation Hon. Kayode Omotose, reiterated that the legislature was the first arm of government whose primary duty was to lay out the tenets of governance before the executive enforce it and the judiciary institute sanctions when necessary.
Speaking against the backdrop of the failure of the Comptroller -General of Customs Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) to appear before the Senate and coupled with discordant statements and actions from some office holders in the executive arm leading to altercation between the two arms of government, the statement insisted that “democracy was being trampled upon”.
We also wonder why the Senate should be stigmatised for not confirming CP Ibrahim Magu for the EFCC job when he was a victim of the report forwarded by the DSS.
The constituency office therefore called for joint intervention of senior citizens of the country, institutions and Non governmental organisations to ensure that the will of the people prevail. “The Senate has 109 members with 109 mandate with different experience, knowledge, breed , character and fundamental accomplishment in different fields of human nature. And they represent the electorate across the length and breadth of the country.
This is unlike what obtains in the executive arm where the only elected persons with direct mandate are the President and the Vice President at the national level. All others are appointees who merely leverage on their mandate in a second tier perspective.
As for those planning to invade the National Assembly “we like to remind them that institutional gangsterism is not an option in democracy where the instrument of relationship is mutual respect and dialogue”.
We hereby call on both arms of government to show mutual respect and maintain constitutional order to prevent one arm lording it over the other. The key to moving the country forward is a cordial working relationship between the arms of government, the press as the famous fourth estate of the realm and the entire citizenry.