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Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Miffed by the recurring rifts between the states executive and legislature arms of government, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) have constituted a Legislative Programme Steering Committee to mitigate it in all APC-controlled states.
Speaking during the inaugural meeting of the committee on Tuesday in Abuja, Edo State governor and Deputy Chairman of the forum, Godwin Obaseki, disclosed that the forum had also developed prototype bills to allow APC-controlled states harmonise their policies in the area of security, revenue generation and education.
Governor Obaseki, represented by his deputy, Philip Shuaibu, said: “The forum has set up Programmes Steering Committees Structured and constituted to provide the required technical services to its member states, one of which is the PGF Legislative Programme Steering Committee that will primarily provide PGF members with clear and concise contextual recommendations in terms of legal the framework governing government processes and decisions.
“The committee monitors on-going government operations, identifies issues suitable for legislative review, gather and evaluate information and recommend course of action to PGF. It is also expected to promote and advocate the interest of the PGF member states regarding laws, regulations, socio-economic policies and other developments that may affect our states and the APC as a whole.
“Further to this, is our recognition of the fact that the Legislature is the backbone of any democracy. No democracy can flourish except, and until its legislature is strong and progressively active. Part of the objectives of the PGF Legislative Programmes, therefore, is to ensure cordial relations between our legislatures and those of us operating in the executive arm.
“Our goal is to develop a good framework of engagement through initiating activities that would enable us to review emerging challenges regularly and based on that seek to manage and regulate all emerging differences such that conflicts between the executive and the legislature at all levels where APC rules are minimised, as these conflicts would only continue to weaken our capacity to meet the expectations of our citizens.
“That does not mean that there would be no disagreements or conflicts any more in the future, because conflicts are inevitable outcomes of politics and political activities, but through the regular engagement and interactions between the Executive and the legislature, we will take steps to ensure that all emerging conflicts are resolved,” he added.
Obaseki further noted that the governors had also agreed to a few common legislative and policy frameworks in APC states through the adoption and implementation of Prototype Bills on Security Trust Fund, Administration and Collection of Revenue and UBE Laws.
“Work is currently ongoing on the fourth – Primary Health care policy framework for the APC states,” he added.
According to him, the PGF Secretariat and the Legislative Advisers to Governors of APC states meet bi-monthly to strategise and review challenges towards domesticating these prototype bills to the peculiar realities of each APC state.
“Therefore, from 2019–2023, we will want the work of the PGF Legislative Programme Steering Committee to focus more on strengthening the capacity of our states to have increased commitment to implement all approved initiatives.
“This may require more initiatives around issues of peacebuilding, not just amongst different stakeholders in our great party, but also amongst the three arms of government, particularly between the executive and the legislature. This would have to be deliberately and consciously put at the front burner of our priorities in this committee.
“Beyond proposing peace-building initiatives among stakeholders within the party, we will require that our technical team take a closer look at the current national challenge whereby ethno-religious sentiments have made conflicts involving virtually all sections of our society recurring,” he added.
