ELECTORAL ACT:Govs launch offensive against lawmakers

ABUJA—The nation’s governors have launched an offensive including the use of carrot and stick to kill the proposed law aimed at integrating members of the National Assembly into the National Executive Committees of the political parties.

In a seeming success of the offensive, the leader of the South-South caucus in the House of Representatives, Andrew Uchendu, yesterday, backed away from the bill denouncing it as undemocratic. He was, however, immediately disowned by a leading member of the House, Eseme Eyiboh, the House spokesman who said Uchendu was speaking for himself. Eyiboh was joined by some other members who described the bill as the legislators only means of levelling the immense power presently held by the governors over the parties.

Meanwhile, the legislators were yesterday reinforcing their defence against the onslaught from the governors with encouragement to fellow members to push the bill on the fact that it was the sharpest means of cutting the governors to size.

The Senate on its part also yesterday played down the controversy as it affirmed that the proposed law was still subject to public input.

The bill aims to make all Senators and members of the House of Representatives members of the NEC of the political parties under which they were elected.

Vanguard Newspaper

Legislative selfishness