Former president of the Nigerian senate Ken Nnamani, on Monday, July 6, 2015 told the All Progressive Congress that they can not enforce their party on the Nigerian senate.
He was speaking at Dr. Austin Uganwa book launch titled: ” Nigeria’s Fourth Republic National Assembly: Politics, Challenges and Media Perspectives”
He said it was out of place for the the party to force its supremacy on the Nigerian senate and that once Senators are elected, they become senators of the Federal Republic and that once a Senate President emerges, he becomes the senate president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to the Vanguard, Nnamani said the lawmakers, upon election are loyal to the constitution and not to the party and that it was wrong of the party leadership to fix a meeting at a time the national assembly was to convene.
He said: “When we talk about independence of the legislature, it also delve into what happened on June 9. That day, a group of people handling government decided to hold a meeting. But one would have expected that they should be the one to take the floor since we are practicing bicameral legislature, but they did not.
“They gathered at the International Conference Centre (ICC), which is so far away from the vicinity of the National Assembly. At least, they should have been the ones to be there first, to make sure they lead their people inside. But they did not do that, and now they are paying the price for that.
“Now, today, we are grappling with the issue of party supremacy. Party is ephemeral and the legislature should stand for democratic governance for Nigerians.”
Meanwhile, the chairman of the occasion, former Speaker of the House, Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abbah, said he was impressed Dr. Austin Uganwa captured the critical moments in the life of the National Assembly, adding that he remained committed to the independence of the legislature.
