Comrade Reuben Izeze, the Delta State Commissioner for Works, Highways, and Urban Roads, has achieved academic success with the publication of his Master’s Degree thesis in an international law journal.
The article titled “Critiquing the democratic ideals of standing orders of legislative house through the prism of the rules of the Delta State House of Assembly: Lessons from a cross-country survey” and co-authored by his lecturers Mohammed O. Amali and Nansat Stephanie Omoarebu was published in the Volume 12 of the 2023 Nigerian Journal of Legal Studies.
Izeze, a two-term member of the Delta State House of Assembly, was initially elected in 2015 and then re-elected in 2019, representing the people of Ughelli South State Constituency.
His transition from Engineering to law demonstrated his class and brilliance, culminating in being awarded the best graduating student in the Department of Private Law at the 8th convocation of Delta State University Abraka.
He was officially called to the Nigerian Bar as a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court on November 26, 2014.
The thesis garnered recognition as the best research work of the session, evaluated by a team of external examiners led by Professor George Akinseye (SAN). It contributed significantly to legal knowledge and was hailed for its originality, lacking any precedent elsewhere.
In their article, Izeze et al. emphasized that a crucial aspect of Parliamentary privilege is the autonomy of each House to regulate its own procedures.
“The Parliament draws up the rules in its own right because it has the power to introduce whatever regulations it deems appropriate.
“The permanent written rules under which the House regulates its proceedings are known as the Standing Orders, and these rules governing legislative processes have implication on the authenticity, the reach and quality of representation.
“Despite the paramount need for the sanctity of these rules, there has been a misuse of its provisions in certain quarters.
“Impelled therefore by the incessant suspension of lawmakers in Nigeria by Legislative Houses citing breach of Standing Orders/Rules, this article critically examines the extent and application of relevant areas of Standing Orders of the Delta State House of Assembly by interrogating the general level of internal democracy entrenched in it and juxtaposing it with corresponding Standing Orders of the parliaments of two different jurisdictions of New South Wales and Kenya.
“The paper finds that Standing Orders however well thought out are inherently laden with provisions that infringe upon the principles of democracy and democratic ideals generally and accordingly recommends that Standing Orders must not be in breach of democratic ideals.”
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