Demands, pressure from our constituents taking toll on us — Reps

Undue pressure and demands from constituents are taking a toll on members of the House of Representatives, its spokesman, Rep. Benjamin Okezie Kalu (APC, Abia), has said.

Kalu, who spoke to newsmen after the House adjourned plenary to honour late Ossy Prestige who died recently, said because people misunderstood their roles as lawmakers, they were asking them to perform tasks that are the prerogative of the executive.

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“What I am saying is that because of lack of understanding of the role of the lawmakers by the people that elected us, they assign to us pressures that are not ours.

“They are giving us the roles that are supposed to be performed by the governors or ministers and then talk you down if you are not doing it.

“They flog you as you don’t know what you have come here to do. They don’t know that is not what you came here to do. It is an inferred burden,” he said.

Kalu said, the pressure from constituents is too much and is killing members of the National Assembly.

“So, most members of the National Assembly are under great pressure and the resources to meet these expectations from the public are not there.

“People don’t want to hear the truth, but I will tell you the truth that members of the parliament are under pressure,” he said.