Christian Anokwuru, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia and Provost, Madonna College of Health Technology Olokoro, has said that members of the National Assembly are to be held accountable for the failures and excesses of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The priest who stated this while speaking to journalists in Umuahia on the state of the nation, regretted that the legislature has failed to carry out its constitutional responsibility of checkmating the excesses of the executive.
He argued that the National Assembly is constitutionally empowered to call the President to order if he oversteps his bounds, wondering why the legislature has failed to exercise its oversight over the President on some of his anti-people policies.
Anokwuru said what Nigeria is suffering from is a complete failure of the political class that is only after its selfish interests.
According to him, Nigerian politicians practice politics without morality, adding that politicking does not mean tribalism and nepotism.
He expressed shock over President Buhari’s genocidal tweet against the Igbo which he said was ” very unpresidential”.
The cleric strongly condemned the abductions and extra judicial killings of Igbo youths by security agents who label them unknown gunmen after arresting them from their homes or on the street.
He described the ugly development as a crime against humanity, and called on Igbo political leaders to speak out against the trend.
”The South East is facing the heat of Nigeria’s volatile security situation.
”While I condemn attacks on security formations, it is not moral to arrest innocent citizens and brand them unknown gunmen.
”The Igbo political class irrespective of their party affiliation should unite and speak in one voice.
”The governors should lead this crusade and immediately convene a security summit where the security agents should be made to stop house-to-house arrest of innocent Igbo youths.”
Anokwuru said security agents should go after the hoodlums attacking them and not hapless citizens who now live in fears of both bandits and security agencies.
He further cautioned the media against reporting the agitation for self determination as if it is peculiar to South East, arguing that different regions including the South West are clamouring for autonomy.
The priest expressed worry over the manner the media report the agitation for self rule in South East saying it is capable of inciting another civil war in the country.
On the review of the 1999 constitution, the Catholic priest and what Nigeria needed was a brand new constitution that would reflect the aspirations of the people and not cosmetic amendments.
He said the fundamental flaws in the Constitution could only be corrected when the various nationalities in the country are part of the process to determine who they would be governed instead of the political class hijacking the process.
The cleric who said that the executive arm of government is vested with too much powers in the extant constitution, advocated slashing of the excess power of the executive in the new constitution.
Source: Vanguard
