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By Lawrence Agbo
Prof. Pat Utomi, a political economist and member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has condemned National Assembly members for their involvement in the Electoral Act amendment.
After much discussion, the Electoral Bill was finally passed by the National Assembly last month. The bill was later signed into law by President Bola Tinubu. Opposition parties, however, have denounced the new law and are demanding that lawmakers reconsider it right away.
Utomi said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday that federal lawmakers are engaging in self-serving politics to hold onto power.
He cautioned that such acts might undermine the legislature’s legitimacy and cause chaos in the nation.
“What we have has become a sham National Assembly. Because they are playing more to their interest of staying in power, they forget that they can lose legitimacy — the whole system can lose legitimacy — and that what they are doing is inviting anarchy.
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“They had better save themselves and the system now. If it’s just for themselves, we can all sit back and say, ‘Okay, they will see the consequences.’ We have seen the history; we know what the consequences are — they will pay dearly for it.
“But their paying dearly could mean all of us ultimately pay dearly, because we could lose our democracy; we could lose our capacity for law, order, good governance, and progress in the country,” Utomi said.
Concerning what he called political games between the Senate and the president, the political economist cautioned that such acts could lead Nigeria astray. He demanded that the measure be sent back to the National Assembly for review.
“I don’t think people who are playing these games between the Senate and the presidency quite understand where they are going and where this could lead Nigeria.
“This is why it is imperative, for progress in Nigeria, that they return that so-called law to the National Assembly and make a law that reflects what the people want.
“Representatives are agents; they play a fiduciary role. Their role is to reflect the interests of the people. As I said before, the reason the House of Representatives in the United States is elected every two years, compared to the Senate, which is six, is because they are considered the ones closest to the people, whom they can hold accountable. They must renew their mandate frequently to ensure they are speaking the will of the people,” he said.
