Meanwhile, a Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), led by Centre for Policy Advocacy and Leadership Development (CPALD) has thrown its weight behind the emergence of Senator Ahmad Lawan as next president of the Senate.
It added that his adoption by the APC was in line with global parliamentary best practices.
Against this background, CPALD alongside 10 other CSOs stated categorically that they are on the same page in advancing the course of democracy in Nigeria and, therefore, view the development as good because it’s in line with international parliamentary best practices.
The coalition disclosed this in a statement Wednesday by its Director, Democracy and Governance, Mr. Joe Mesele, and expressed its support for the APC’s stance on the candidature of Lawan, saying there was nothing wrong with it.
It, therefore, called on other stakeholders to align with the initiative of the APC in order to flow along with international norms and procedures in the election of the leadership of parliaments.
It stated: “We have watched with keen interest for some weeks now debates as to the proprietary of the leadership of the APC in nominating Senator Ahmed Lawan as its candidate for the President of the Senate of the ninth assembly.
“We at the Centre for Policy Advocacy and leadership Development alongside 10 of our sister CSOs hereby unequivocally state that we are on the same page in advancing the course of democracy in Nigeria and therefore view the development as welcome because it’s in line with international parliamentary best practices.
“We have studied Parliamentary developments in several advanced democracies and came to the conclusion that the leadership of those Parliaments are usually members with the requisite cognate experience – Usually leaders of the ruling party’s caucuses. And right now in Nigeria, the leader of the APC caucuses in the Senate is Senator Ahmed Lawan. He is therefore, without sentiments, eminently qualified to hold the position.
“The people criticising the APC for taking the position of supporting Senator Ahmed Lawan are simply ignorant of parliamentary ethics and norms the world over.”
The coalition stressed that in order to ensure transparency of the process, the election of the President of the Senate of the ninth Assembly should be by open balloting system and not secret balloting, adding that Nigerians would know where their representatives stand during the election of the senate president.
It stated: “In every parliament in the world, the vote of every parliamentarian is made known to his constituents on the floor. This is a way of showing that he is accountable to the people that voted him to represent him and that he is not on his own. Ours in Nigeria cannot be different. We need to know where each senator stands.”
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