The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has condemned the amendment to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Act by the National Assembly (NASS).
Consequently, it urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to sign the amended Act.
The CNPP also called on well-meaning Nigerians and civil society groups in the country, including the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), to mount pressure on the president to withhold his assent to the said amendment.
The umbrella body of all the registered political parties and associations in the country, in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, noted that the its decision was taken after a careful study of the amendment and the circumstances surrounding the controversial move.
Parts of the statement read: “We are taken aback that just months after it initially suspended the move to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Act, the National Assembly subtly passed the amendment Bill into law.
“When the plan by the National Assembly to amend the Act first became known to members of the public, there was deafening outcry, which forced the lawmakers to suspend the move.
“The CNPP, just like many other Nigerians, had thought that the National Assembly’s suspension of the earlier move to amend the CCT/CCB Act was a sign of good days ahead where lawmakers would respect the majority opinion of their respective constituencies.
“But the passage of the amendment Bill is an indication that the National Assembly is serving the interest of its principal officers, and not that of the Nigerian people,” the CNPP observed.
The conference also noted that “The speed with which the amendment was carried out at a time some principal officers were accused of false declaration of assets is an indication of the interest it is intended to serve.
“We therefore urge President Muhammadu Buhari to withhold his assent to the amended Act, as the circumstances surrounding the amendment shows it was done in bad faith and the action of the National Assembly amounts to taking over executive powers to the detriment of the constitutional principle of separation of powers.”