The legislature needs experienced and competent leadership
The jostling for the leadership of the ninth National Assembly, expected to be inaugurated in June, has started in earnest. While we are mindful of the almost universal convention that the majority party produces the presiding officers in the legislature and the fact that seniority of ranking plays an important role, the lawmakers are not answerable to the executive.Therefore, at a period when majority of Nigerians view the National Assembly and its members in less-than-flattering terms, nothing should be done to further erode the credibility of an institution that is critical to our democracy.
For the presidential system of government which we practice in Nigeria to work efficiently, Baron de Montesquieu, a French jurist and philosopher, advocated the necessity for powers to be separated among the three arms of government (executive, legislature and judiciary) in a way that each can act as a…
