Concerned Citizens Forum of Nigeria (CCFN) has called on the United States of America to intervene in the succession battle going on in the House of Representatives.
The group, in a letter to the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, accused the incumbent Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, of ursurping the democratic rights of other elected representatives.
They described the action of the speaker as “a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.”
In the letter dated May 18, 2023 and signed by Dauda Yakubu and Ndubuisi Nwogu, Convener and Secretary, respectively, warned of the consequences of imposing a successor.
The organisation said it was compelled to bring to the notice of the US government, the plot by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila to subvert the democratic rights of members of the House of Representatives to elect leaders of their choice for the 10th National Assembly.
CCFN said, “The plot by Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila is undemocratic and a threat to our nascent democracy hence this letter to inform the United States of America and, by extension, the world of what is happening in the House of Representatives in Nigeria.
“The Ambassador may wish to know that the Speaker has repeatedly refused to reconvene the House of Representatives to deliberate on the processes for electing principal officers. We have it on good authority that the Speaker orchestrated this plot in an attempt to leave members of the House of Representatives in limbo until the 9th Assembly wounds down and leaves no room for deliberations on the House rules.
“The action by the Speaker is dictatorial and against the tenets of democracy, which was gathered from reliable sources that the overachieving plot is to install his stooge as the Speaker of the House of Representatives so he can influence the leadership of the House of Representatives to do his bidding on issues of nattbonal concerns for selfish reasons.
“Our peace at the moment is extremely fragile. One would expect someone as highly placed as the Speaker to tread cautiously. However, from all indications, he is the one who is out to hijack the democratic rights of others who have been duly elected by their constituents.
“The actions of the Speaker are an anomaly and an invitation for chaos, which might spell doom for our nascent democracy. This is on the heels that the Speaker has fictitiously edited the House Standing Rules to reduce the rights of members of the House of Representatives to exercise their rights as duly elected representatives of their constituencies.
“Dear Ambassador, you will agree that the Speakers action is antidemocratic and indicates that all is not well in the House of Representatives. It is our considered opinion that in a democracy, the people are at liberty to make choices that advance the national interest and not selfish interests. If the Speaker of the House of Representatives can act this way, democracy is under threat. And suppose urgent steps are not taken to address the situation. In that case, we might be heading for a breakdown of law and order with the potential to truncate democracy in Nigena.
“The members of the House of Representatives must be allowed to exercise their democratic rights without fear or favor, given that they were elected through the ballot to represent their constituencies.
“Dear Ambassador, tension is building in the House of Representatives with the undemocratic actions of the Speaker. We believe this anomaly should be addressed in good time to save the country untold embarrassment and deviation from the ideals of democracy.”
