Nwodo wants automatic return for lawmakers

THIS IS TRULY NIGERIAN..GOOD PEOPLE, GREAT NATION

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, has said National Assembly members should be given automatic tickets to return in 2011 for the purpose of continuity.

Nwodo however added a caveat. Those who should return should be those who have performed in office.

Nwodo, who spoke during the inaugural capacity building training programme for female aspirants of the PDP in Abuja with the theme: ‘Removing the hurdles for women political participation and empowerment’ said, “We as a party want to grow this democracy and in trying to grow democracy, what we need to do is to have some form of continuity and therefore, we will like as many members of parliament who are performing and who are also acceptable in some extent in their constituencies to come back. Unless we do that, we will continue our learning process.

“For now we can do what we can. When we sit down with the leadership of our party, and we begin to look at those parliamentarians we have to return due to their performance because we want continuity in parliament and the growth of the democratic institution.”

Nwodo also said the 35 per cent women affirmative action in political participation in Nigeria could only succeed if enshrined in the nation’s constitution.
He said, “If I was the National Chairman at the time they were preparing the constitution, I would have put the 35 per cent in the constitution. In the countries where women representation has been actualized it was a constitutional matter. If you look all over the world whether in India, Pakistan or Netherlands they have created it in the constitution. Because if you have it in the constitution, it means that out of every three Senators per state, one must be a woman. That is the way this thing can be realized easily.”

He however urged women to participate more in politics to increase their chances of getting their desired 35 per cent participation in governance. “You want to get 35 per cent, you would get it, but not by sitting down at home. You must come out to participate. You mustn’t rest on your oars.” he said.