ThisDay reports that as the
out-going Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, took
his leave from the Green Chamber on Wednesday, he observed that the frosty
relationship between the executive arm and the legislature diverted the House’s
attention and severally caused the nation to cringe in shame.
Tambuwal
made the observation in a valedictory speech, titled: ‘The Power of Unity of
Purpose,’ which he delivered as the House prepared to step down as the Speaker
after his victory as the governor-elect of Sokoto State for which he will be
sworn in on Friday.
The
out-going Speaker also boasted that the seventh assembly, over which he
presided, was not tainted by allegations of corruption except in a couple of
cases, three to be exact, out of which only one is yet to be given a clean
bill.
According
to him, the attitude of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the ruling
party, in trying to manipulate and stampede the legislature into submission,
forced it into a cul-de-sac and occasioned the rancour between the two arms of
government.
“I must
say that the frosty relationship between the executive and the seventh House
was an unnecessary distraction and a source of embarrassment to the nation. It
was unwarranted that a ruling party with clear majority boxed itself into that
situation. If the executive fails to recognise the independence of the
legislature and expects that it is its rubber stamp, then a frosty relation is
bound to follow.
“I
would strongly urge the incoming executive arm and indeed the ruling All
Progressives Congress (APC) to avert this unwholesome situation,” he cautioned.
He
offered that the legislature must be unencumbered in its quest “to fulfill its
duty and obligation to the electorate,” thus adding, “a legislature truly
playing its checks and balances role would normally experience friction with
the other arms of government and other interest groups who have broken the law
or desire to break the law in the course of time.”
He
attributed the consequences of this friction between the two arms to the
constitutional amendment impasse, the death of the Petroleum Industry
Bill (PIB) and the inability of the Electronic Voting System to
materialise.
Applauding
his team of Principal Officers, colleagues, staff of the National Assembly, the
Media, Development Partners especially the British Department for International
Development (DFID) and UNDP, civil society organisations, political aides
and domestic staff for their personal and collective contributions to the
success of the seventh House, he thumbed his chest that as the House closes “we
go with a sense of substantial accomplishment and much gratitude to Nigerians
whose unwavering support saw us through most of our tough decision times.
“In
rendering service to millions of people, I admit that I am human and only God
is infallible, so I may have caused offense to some. Such certainly was neither
deliberate nor intentional, I therefore ask for forgives for any such offense.
I assure you that I will forever cherish the tremendous goodwill extended to me
these past four years and indeed to the institution of the House of
Representatives,” he concluded.
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