By Oluseye Ojo
The Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria (CSSLN), Adebo Ogundoyin, has warned that encroachment on state legislative independence could set a precedent that could threaten the foundation of democracy in the country.
He gave the warning following the recent summons by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, directed at the Speakers of Benue and Zamfara state houses of assembly.
Ogundoyin described the action as an overreach of authority that challenged constitutional boundaries and the independence guaranteed to state legislatures under the 1999 Constitution.
The summons, issued in connection with petitions from the civil society group, Guardians of Democracy and the Rule of Law, sparked a defence of state legislative rights.
Ogundoyin, who is the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, emphasised that the National Assembly’s oversight powers, defined in Sections 88 and 89 of the constitution, extend solely to federal matters. He added: “State Legislatures are constitutionally independent arms of government.”
The CSSLN had in a formal letter transmitted to the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions rejected the summons and serious concerns about the autonomy of state governments, as well as the long-standing principle of federalism in Nigeria.
The Conference noted that presiding officers of the state legislature should not be summoned over internal state issues, unless they involve explicit constitutional or federal concerns.
The Speakers of both the Benue and Zamfara State Houses of Assembly have also independently pushed back officially against the summons. They expressed strong constitutional objections to the summons. They asserted that the issues raised are purely domestic and fall outside the oversight jurisdiction of the National Assembly.