A group, Advocates for Good Governance (AGG), yesterday, stormed the National Assembly in protest against perceived plans to elect leaders of the 9th Assembly via secret ballot.
Mr. Duro Meseko, who led the protesters, also alleged that the leadership of the 8th Assembly had perfected plans to select leaders who would constitute legislative cog in the wheel of progress of President Muhammadu Buhari.
With placards which read: “No to secret ballots in NASS elections”, “Enough of this secrecy in NASS”, “We want open ballot”, among others, the protesters, numbering hundreds, demanded the use of open voting in the election of leaders of the 9th Assembly.
“We are dismayed by information that the leadership of the 9th Assembly would be elected through a secret ballot process.
“More worrisome is the fact that the leadership of the 8th Assembly has perfected plans to select leaders who will constitute legislative cog in the wheel of progress of President Buhari.
“We demand open ballot or voice vote during the election of new leadership of the National Assembly to give confidence and trust to all Nigerians,” the protesters demanded.
They recalled the “resistance by all Nigerians to the third term agenda of former President Olusegun Obasanjo”, assuring that they would repeat same to ensure that leaders of the 9th Assembly were elected through an open and transparent process.
According to them, the global parliamentary process of electing leaders was open ballot, except in the 8th Assembly when standing rules were circumvented.
The group, therefore, urged members-elect of the 9th Assembly to be vigilant in order to defend and safeguard the interests of their constituents.
