Part-Time Legislature: Akume Lambasts Confab Delegates, Says Present Arrangement Antidote To Executive Impunity

Former Benue State Governor and Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume (APC Benue North West), on Thursday faulted the proposal by some delegates that he country should switch from a full-time legislature to part-time.

We had earlier reported that the conference adopted the recommendation of its standing Committee on Public Service, headed by former Head of Service, Ebele Okeke, which suggested a part-time legislative system at the state and federal levels.

The committee argued that the arrangement would reduce the cost of governance in the areas of jumbo salaries and other mouth-watering packages paid to the lawmakers as well as reduce the size of government under the present arrangement.

Addressing reporters in Abuja, Akume said: “Part-time Legislature is not and can never be the answer to Executive impunity and corruption in the country”.

The ex-governor stressed that Executive impunity was largely responsible for the high cost of governance in Nigeria.

According to him: “I am not surprised that such a proposal is coming from people that were not elected but hand-picked by an individual for a national assignment. In fact, they have no electoral value in the first place to stand for and win any election.

“How will they understand and appreciate what constitute elected offices, especially the legislative seats in the governance of the country under democratic template?

“I do not believe, as wrongly proposed by the unelected delegates at the National Conference that part-time Legislature would help in appreciable terms in the reduction of the cost of governance in Nigeria.

“It cannot serve in any way as an antidote to Executive impunity and corruption that has over the years been the cause of the high cost of governance in the land.

“I am not, and I believe other lawmakers are not, surprised that such a proposal came from the National Conference; people who are hand-picked delegates”.