May 13, 2003
House Rules and New Members
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CRP is concerned about new rules issued by the House of Representatives forbidding newly elected members from seeking leadership positions in the incoming House. Order 2 (2) (2a) of the House Rules requires that only members with “cognate legislative experience” aspire to leadership positions in the House.
It is difficult to understand what “cognate legislative experience” the old members of the House are talking about, or indeed what experience these members have garnered in the last four years, that will inspire this Rule. Our experience of legislators elected into the National Assembly in 1999, is that of a group of persons who stepped into a vacuum created in the National Assembly, at a time when serious minded Nigerians, did not trust the military’s transition experiment. Experienced and democratic minded Nigerians who had spent years in opposition to military rule had stayed away from contesting elections, but instead were part of the struggle to get the military out. The consequences of course, was the emergence of what most Nigerians saw as inexperienced and sometimes undemocratic elements in the National Assembly.
It is no wonder that the record of achievement of the outgoing National Assembly has been dismal and disappointing. Several members spent their time conducting personal business and contriving crisis in order to make profit.
There is no record of personal bills sponsored and passed into law by the National Assembly. Public hearings and committee sittings were organised, but only few of it achieved concrete goals or aimed to advance the cause of lawmaking.
Infighting, frequent committee leadership changes, constant confrontation with the executive, absenteeism, and general inexperience were some of the concerns and shortcomings of the outgoing National Assembly.
Indeed Nigerians are of the conclusion that most members of the outgoing National Assembly are a selfish lot, who failed to make serious legislative impact, accounting for why less than one-quarter of its membership were re-elected.
Happily, the incoming National Assembly has among its membership, some very matured, experienced and well respected Nigerians, with impressive records of public service and independence. Nigerians are expectant that there will be significant changes in the quality, style and output of the incoming National Assembly.
Given this quality of individuals, CRP calls on the House of Representatives, to take immediate steps to repeal its obnoxious Rule forbidding new members from assuming leadership positions in the House.
It is bad legislative practice to seek to bind the incoming legislative house with a bad rule that aims to deprive it of quality leadership.
CRP implores Speaker Ghali Na’abba and his colleagues in the House of Representatives to amend this Rule now, before the House is dissolved in the next few days!
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