The position of the group was made known by its Executive Director, Mrs. Yemi Adamolekun, at a media parley in Lagos on Thursday. The parley was organized by the EIE to educate Nigerians on their right to recall legislators providing poor representation
A civil society group, Enough is Enough Nigeria (EIE), has condemned the use of court instruments as tools to prolong the legislative recall process.
The position of the group was made known by its Executive Director, Mrs. Yemi Adamolekun, at a media parley in Lagos on Thursday. The parley was organized by the EIE to educate Nigerians on their right to recall legislators providing poor representation.
Mrs. Adamolekun explained that court instruments have happily been seized upon by legislators facing recall to ensure an elongation of the process. She called for non-intervention of the courts until the process is completed.
“The instruments of the court have been used to prolong the process. The constitution frame says 90 days, not foreseeing that there will be any stops and gaps. But if the court gives the final judgment that once a recall process starts, let them go from start to finish, then the court would not intervene," she said.
She further explained that the process presents constituents the opportunity of endorsing it and in cases where signatures might have been forged, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will ascertain the authenticity of such through a verification exercise. Mrs. Adamolekun noted that there has been no successful recall process in the history of Nigeria’s democracy.
She urged Nigerians to better engage their representatives.
"Some of them (representatives) have constituency offices. Visit their offices and let your concerns be known. Some of them are very good at hosting town hall meetings, so if they don’t host it, you can demand or request for a town hall meeting to give you an opportunity to speak to them. Some of their numbers are made public, call them and ask them questions. Also, you can write them letters. Those are the ways citizens need to pay attention to what is happening,” she said.