The immediate past National Secretary of the Labour Party, Hon. Umar Ibrahim Mairakumi, has criticised the legislature for failing to fully check the activities of the executive in line with constitutional provisions.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna, Mairakumi said Nigerian lawmakers under the present administration have been rendered largely inactive due to their failure to work in the overall interest of the country.
The frontline PDP House of Representatives aspirant for Kudan/Makarfi Federal Constituency argued that the trend of elected officials abandoning the opposition parties that gave them their mandate for “lucrative offers” from the ruling APC is weakening legislative oversight.
“As long as people elected on the platform of opposition parties continue to dump their parties for the ruling APC, we may continue to witness a legislature that cannot check the excesses of the executive arm of government,” he said.
Hon. Mairakumi maintained that effective separation of powers is critical to democracy and urged lawmakers to prioritize national interest over personal gain.
Commenting on the economic hardship and insecurity ravaging the nation, he said the administration had failed to keep its promises, introducing policies that create unnecessary challenges for the masses. He added that if the legislature were performing its constitutional duties properly, the President could have faced impeachment proceedings.
