Former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani has said that if not properly resolved the National Assembly Crisis may linger till 2019.
He said that although every elected representative owes loyalty to their party, one elected their overall loyalty is to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Nnamani while speaking in Abuja said “The National Assembly is a legislative arm of government. It is not a party secretariat. You cannot go there to apply party principles. You should have prepared yourself before election. After your election, you owe a lot to Nigeria. Yes, you owe loyalty to the party that helped you to get there but your overwhelming loyalty must be to the Constitution of Nigeria because if there is no Nigeria, there can’t be Senate. Once you are elected, your party takes the back seat.
“The president himself is a product of the party. Even if the president wants to show loyalty to the party, it is to a point. You are now the president of Nigeria and not the president of the party. Similarly, as a senator or House member, you must show loyalty to your party, but the overriding superior loyalty goes to Nigeria. That was what triggered the fight witnessed in the House of Representatives the other time, which should not be the case. The party should have played its role prior to the inauguration of the legislature.
“This confusion may go on throughout the life of this administration if not handled with care. You can’t enforce in the National Assembly what you ought to do behind the scene. You can’t come to the National Assembly to enforce party discipline.
“A legislator is one who is capable of thinking independently, he or she quite understands that the party is supreme and that it was the platform, the vehicle that brought him to the parliament.”
So, having gotten to the legislature through the party, the lawmaker has to show loyalty to the party that offered him the platform.”
There is also a party loyalty and party discipline.
“Hence, the National Assembly as an institution is not a party secretariat, you don’t go there to enforce party discipline. It is expected that a party should have prepared its lawmaker enough before sending him out for election. However, the moment a party’s candidate emerges as a lawmaker, he owes a lot to Nigeria because if we are talking about Senate, it is the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not Senate of APC or PDP.
“You owe loyalty to the party but there is an overriding superior constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If there is no Nigeria, there will be no party. As a lawmaker, your loyalty lies with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to the Senate. The party takes back seat. If there is a claim that the party is bigger than the legislature, you will be making a great mistake which may not work.
“If the party is so special as being claimed now, let the party submit the list of ministers to show supremacy, you will notice that it will not work. The executive branch of government has the constitutional role to submit the list of ministers. The president himself is a product of the party but the president will not submit the list of ministers to the party.”