Lawmakers Mount Pressure On Etteh

Member of the House of Representatives (Benue), Mr. Emmanuel Jime has asked the Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Etteh, to resign her position to allow due process of law to take its course.

Speaking to journalists in Makurdi, Mr. Jime who is also a lawyer told Nigerians that it is high time that the rule of law was given its pride of place in the country.

The federal legislator further called on his colleagues to rise up and assume responsibility of handling the House ad-hoc committee report on Mrs. Etteh’s contract scam objectively and in line with the due process.

"The House did a good thing by setting up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the matter. And the committee has made its report which is now subject to debate by the whole house. But for now, if you read in-between the lines you can understand clearly, what the panel has said", Jime stated.

He contended that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s giant stride on due process was the right stance that every reasonable Nigerian should completely align himself with, just as he insisted that without strict adherence to due process and the rule of law, the nation cannot attain that which we dearly desire to achieve.

Mr. Jime has also pledged his support for the Attorney General of the Federation’s decision to ensure due process and the rule of law in the country. He maintained that within the frame work of the operation of the constitution, there are agencies that have responsibilities, but advised that such responsibilities should not contradict constitutional provisions.

Commenting on the 47 years of Nigeria ’s independence, the lawmaker said for Nigeria to have survived as a single entity was an achievement as the country had suffered about thirty years of military dictatorship with all its limitations.

"The country is now devoid of disintegration and is now practicing democracy of hope. We are now a nation that is talking about zero tolerance to corruption and we are living together", he maintained.