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From Fred Itua, Abuja
Months after the leadership of the National Assembly, led by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, accused state governors of sabotaging moves to grant local government autonomy through a constitutional amendment, Houses of Assembly have failed to support the move.
Last year, the Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Omo-Agege, said governors and speakers were demanding the creation of state police, among others, before they will vote on the 44 bills sent to them for assent.
Before the bills are signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, at least 24 State Houses of Assembly must concur.
Omo-Agege had said: “Six months after the transmission of these Bills to State Assemblies, it is most disheartening to inform you that only 11 State Houses of Assembly have demonstrated their independence and loyalty to the Constitution regarding the 44 bills.
“Twenty-five state Houses of Assembly have yet to consider and vote on these bills. So far, only Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Lagos, Ogun and Osun States have successfully considered, voted on, and forwarded their resolutions on the 44 bills to the National Assembly.
“More worrisome is that while we are still expecting the receipt of the resolutions of the remaining Houses of Assembly, we received a letter from the Conference of Speakers of State Assemblies informing the National Assembly that the remaining states will not act on the 44 Bills unless the National Assembly passes four new Bills they have proposed in the letter.”
Out of the 44 bills forwarded to the 36 State Houses of Assembly early last year, 35 were approved by over 24 Assemblies, thereby meeting the constitutional requirements of 2/3.
Nine bills didn’t scale through. According to Omo-Agege, Gombe, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara, are yet to forward their resolutions on the bills in fulfilment of their constitutionally imposed legislative obligation to the constitutional amendment process.
