TheCable

Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy senate president, says some governors are working “tirelessly” to turn state assemblies to their “political puppets”.

Omo-Agege, who is the chairman of the senate constitution review committee, said this on Tuesday at a media briefing organised by the leadership of the senate and house of representatives.

The deputy senate president accused some governors of frustrating the efforts of the constitutional amendment process through the speakers of the state houses of assembly.

Omo-Agege said only 11 out of the 36 states have considered the constitutional amendment bills which was transmitted to houses of assembly in March.

“We want to ensure everyone understands this. The national assembly is in no way averse to acting on any proposed bill or memoranda appropriately tabled before it, at any time in its life,” he said.

“Let us be clear. The bills the national assembly transmitted to the state houses of assembly as required by the constitution are not about members of the national assembly.

“It transcends our personal and political interests. It is about the people who have graciously given us the temporary privilege to serve them. The offices and positions we each hold belong to the people. And they yearn for a government that is honest, accountable, and responsive to their needs.

“It is, therefore, disheartening that some state houses of assembly, through the conference of speakers, would give the national assembly conditions before fulfilling their constitutional obligations.

“Although the conference of speakers did not allude to it in their letter, we are aware of the undue interference with legislative processes and the political capture of some state houses of assembly by some state governors.

“No doubt, some state governors have worked tirelessly to turn the conference of speakers and some state assemblies into political puppets, thereby undermining and delegitimising the legislative institution at the state level.

“This interference has been ramped up, especially in opposition to the bills granting financial and administrative autonomy to local governments.”

Omo-Agege said an independent state legislature is essential to the “well-being of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy”.

“That is why the ongoing attempt by some state governors, with the support of some speakers and allies in the state houses of assembly, to eliminate that independence should alarm all Nigerians,” he said.

“This posturing by the conference of speakers of state assemblies should be shown for what it truly is — a total disregard for the Nigerian constitutional system.

“It remains true that each state house of assembly is independent of the other. However, constitution amendment bills require the approval of two-thirds (24) of the 36 state houses of assembly before they can be presented for the president’s assent.

“Therefore, how a state assembly decides on each of the bills is its prerogative. But, there must be a decision for citizens to know where each state house of assembly stands on the issues the bills seek to address.”

The deputy speaker asked civil society organisations (CSOs) and professional groups to “prevail on the conference of speakers to withdraw their threat to truncate the constitution amendment process”.

“Suppose we ignore this brazen attempt by some governors to truncate a constitutional process, in that case, we will ultimately be enablers of the undermining of a critical bulwark of our democracy — which we should not be,” he added.