No Law Gives Party With Majority Members Sole Right To Pick Headship Of Legislature – NBA Chairman

By Ayodele Oni

As the race for the headship of the Senate and House of Representatives Chambers continues, the Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Enugu State Branch, Chief CNN Nwagbara, has said that there are many factors to be considered before emergence of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President.

He stated that the selection of Speaker or Senate President is not determined by Party majority.

The legal luminary told newsmen in Enugu on Tuesday that the members-elect had the sole right to choose their leader through indirect election within themselves in line with section 92 of the 1999 constitution.

According to him, it is applicable to the state Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate.

Nwagbara pointed out that the choice of who becomes the speaker is not determined by party majority.

Ike EKweremadu was elected as the deputy Senate president in 2015 while his party, the Peoples Democratic Party was minority in the Senate then.

“In Enugu state house of assembly, for instance, where Labour Party won 14 seats out of 24 seats, members-elect can choose any person to become the speaker be it a first, second, third or even Fourth timer.

“It is immaterial which party the person comes from, because the provision of the law did not say it must come from the party who has majority of the members elect.

“It is a rule adopted by members of a particular Chamber for administrative convenience and to help them foster effective administration.”

Nwagbara, however, explained that the essence of adopting the rules of ranking in office is because of experience as it is expected that people who had served for longer period would have more experience than the new ones.