Connect with us

General

Activist advocates amendment to law on legislators’ recall

Published




Onyeke made the call in an interview with the Newsmen in Nsukka on Monday.
He said that the call for an amendment of the law became necessary because of the bureaucratic bottleneck that had made a successful recall of lawmakers practically impossible.
“I have watched various attempts by Nigerians in different parts of the country to recall non-performing legislators.
“Unfortunately, all the efforts failed because the conditions provided by the Constitution are very difficult to meet.
“This rigid and frustrating constitutional provision has left many constituencies with no option than to endure and manage their non-performing lawmakers for four years.
“There is urgent need to amend section 69 of the Constitution that deals with the recall to enable constituents to recall their non-performing legislators,” Onyeke said.
According to the activist, the clause that says more than one-half of the registered voters in the constituency should sign for the lawmaker’s recall should be amended.
He said that the clause should rather provide that more than one-half of the electorate, who voted for the member in that constituency in the election, should sign for his recall.
“With such an amendment, that section will have a human face so that only the people who voted him will sign for that legislator’s recall.
“The present section that requires one-half of all registered voters in the constituency to sign is improper.
“The burden of recall should be on those who voted during elections and not those who did not vote,” he said.
Onyeke, who is also a former Supervisor of Works in Nsukka council, said if the constitution gave only those who voted the power to recall, it would encourage more people to vote during elections.
“This will encourage more Nigerians to vote during national and state assembly elections, having known that unless you vote you will not be qualified to sign in case of any recall.
“If the recall process is simplified, it will make lawmakers be effective since they know their people have the power to recall them for poor performance.
“It is only when this section is amended that we can truly say that power belongs to the people in a democracy,” Onyeke said.
He said that he had submitted a document on the matter to the leadership of the National Assembly, copied state assemblies, and the National Human Rights Commission.
He further said that he also copied the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Inspector-General of Police, among others.



Trending