Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, a vibrant public advocacy organisation, has now initiated a platform for Nigerian citizens to recall any lawmaker who is not acting accordingly as stipulated by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Yesterday, April 26th, 2018, the organization launched a guide on how to facilitate a recall process of any lawmaker.
EIE believes that the citizens have the constitutional rights to provide checks and balance to the legislature just as the arm as the power to impeach any executive.
0According to Yemi Adamolekun, executive director of EiE, the guide is to educate citizens on their constitutional right to recall a legislator who does not represent them satisfactorily.
The manual, titled “The citizen’s guide to the recall process”, was presented in a media chat with journalists at the Civic Hive, Yaba, Lagos.
In her speech, Ms Adamolekun, affirmed that the highest office the land is the ‘Office of the Citizen’ but it’s unfortunate that Nigerian voters do not maximise their powers.
In spite of this, constituents express their displeasure about the activities of their lawmakers in all sorts of violent means which can be unlawful, as it has been seen lately across some states.
She said, “The legislature having oversight over the executive has the constitutional power to impeach a president or governor over misconducts. In the same way, a citizen has the constitutional power to recall a non-performing legislator.
“It is important for citizens to know that they have an avenue to replace their representation at the legislative chambers in between the election cycle.
“Rather than using their constitutional power to recall irresponsible legislators, citizens have taken to violent reactions as seen in recent times where constituents attack their representatives.
“For example, angry youth attacked Joshua Lidani, senator representing Gombe South, on Monday, April 2 and angry constituents also stoned Garba Hamman Julde, lawmaker representing Bali/Gassol federal constituency, Taraba, on Saturday, March 31.
“In the 8th assembly alone, we have recorded at least five attempts by constituents to recall a legislator. Of all these cases, only that of the senator representing Kogi west (Dino Melaye) seems to have scaled the first hurdle of submitting a petition to INEC.”
In reference to Melaye’s recall process, she pointed out that the recall process of the embattled senator, which started on June 21, 2017, would have ended September 18, 2017.
“However, nine months later with several court injunctions, the process is just moving to the second stage of verifying the signatures of the constituents.
“Our expectation is that the senator will allow the process to be due process to be followed.”
On his part, Cheta Nwanze, a member of the EiE advisory board, noted that the recall process would become more effective once one of the processes initiated against some of the lawmakers sail through.
He said it would deepen the democratic culture as it would become the reference point.
However, the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, gave his comment of the guide noting that: “The negative conduct of our lawmakers since 1999 has simply been overwhelming. The only control and source of relief left to voters is the vability to recall a gravely erring legislator.”
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