… legislature decreases, judicial loss of independence
Former Senate President and Acting National President of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, said the party was determined to restore the confidence of Nigerians in the democratic process and its institutions.
The APC National Chairman gave the promise on Tuesday in his opening remarks at the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of his party in Abuja.
The former president of the Senate denounced what he called the surrender of the authority of the institutions of Parliament and the judicial branch of the executive arm of the government.
He said: “As a former president of the Senate, I am alarmed by the subtle and crude attempts to bend the legislature and the judiciary to the will of the executive.
“The ADC will defend the separation of powers, restore legislative and judicial independence, and strengthen oversight so that budgets serve the public interest, not private appetites. We will end the culture of shadow budgets and extra-collection maneuvers through strict and transparent enforcement, transparent planning, appropriation and rigorous hearing.
“The judiciary must once again be a refuge for every citizen. We will support an independent, efficient and reliable bench on merit, transparent case management, timely decisions and a bias for justice over empty technicalities.”
He further assured the electorate that a ruling government under the ADC would walk the talk on its election promises to Nigerians.
To achieve his dreams, Mark urged stakeholders in the opposition party to be willing to subordinate their interests for the collective good of the party and ultimately the greater interest of Nigerians.
“Nigerians are tired of slogans and statistics that do not translate to their well-being: food, energy, jobs and security. We will focus on what works. We will pursue price stability and productivity through credible, rules-based coordination of fiscal and monetary policy. We will deliver reliable power generation by scaling up power generation, fixing the transmission transmission bottle and rewarding distribution performance.
“We will secure our food supply by supporting farmers and agricultural value chains from inputs and storage to processing and markets. We will back small businesses and industry with affordable, performance-tied credit and local content that creates jobs, not rent. And we will shine a bright light on every naira-no parallel budgets, no black-box spending, no sacred cows. Judge us by what Nigerians feel in their daily lives, rhetorics and bland statistics: lower volatility, more reliable power, visible projects and decent work.
“Our foreign policy will be Pan-African rooted in regional integration and international peace. We will defend intra-African trade, harmonize standards that open up Nigerian markets and services, leverage diaspora capital, and build coalitions that keep our sub-region stable and prosperous.
“This national working committee has urgent tasks. We must revise our constitution to reflect the new order, develop a code of ethics, funding rules and compliance systems. We must establish functional ward, local government and state structures with trained organizers, digital records and service desks. We will build a leadership pipeline through an academy based on merit, ethics, communications and delivery and delivery.
“We will receive reports from the Secretariat and Zones and prepare for regular and off-cycle elections well in advance. And we will field only credible and viable candidates who meet the standard 4-pillar character, competence, courage and discipline.
“Nigeria and Nigerians will accept nothing less. The political class has been too often served. We must change this outdated pattern. We must model a new attitude towards leadership in every public, private and civic sphere. Let the ADC be told that we kept faith with the people, that we were stable under pressure, honest in our dealings and untroubled in childbirth.
“A new tomorrow can be achieved if we start the work today,” stated Mark.
Also read Top stories OF Nigerian Tribune
Watch the best videos from Nigerian Tribune TV