* Govs demand for State Police inclusion as condition to sign bill
There are indication that the country’s 9th National Assembly may not deliver the new Constitution which is currently undergoing amendment, as promised Nigerians before the end of their four years legislative mandate in June 20
The National Assembly, on Tuesday, accused about 25 state Governors of frustrating the efforts of the constitution review committee and the delay in completing the ongoing constitution amendments
Deputy Senate president, Senator Ovie Omo – Agege, who raised the alarm over the frustration of the ongoing exercise by state governors and speakers of about 25 Houses of Assembly, regretted that the state governors have held the exercise hostage with their demand for the inclusion of State Police clause in the Constitution thst is been amended.
The Deputy President, who is the chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, made the revelation during a press conference in Abuja.
He said Governors and speakers are demanding the creation of state police before they will vote on the 44 bills sent to them for assent.
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege disclosed that only eleven states and their Houses of Assembly have endorsed the amended Constitution, while about 26 states are yet to sign
Omo-Agege said that the committee recommended 66 Constitution Alteration Bills for passage by the states, adding however, that only 44 bills were approved.
He said that bills included the local government financial autonomy and the inauguration of senators and lawmakers-elect bill.
Omo-Agege regretted that six months after the transmission of the bills to states assembly, 25 out of them were yet to vote on the bills.
“It is most disheartening that only states houses of assembly 11 have demonstrated their independence and loyalty to the constitution regarding the 44 bills,” he said.
Omo-Agege listed the states assembly who approved the bills to include Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Lagos, Ogun and Osun.
“These 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 Houses of Assembly informing the National Assembly that the remaining states will not act on the 44 Bills.
“The letter indicated that they could only approve the bills when the National Assembly passes four new bills they have proposed,” he said.
The Deputy Senate President said that the new bills sought to amend the Constitution to establish states police; states judicial council, as well as streamlining the procedure for removing of presiding officers of states houses of assembly and the institutionalisation of legislative bureaucracy in the Constitution.
He said that the National Assembly was in no way averse to passing bills or memoranda appropriately tabled before it, at any time.
“However, it is legally inappropriate for the conference of speakers to use the four Bills as a quid pro quo (a favour or advantage granted in return for something) to act on the 44 Bills,” he said.
Senator Omo-Agege said that the Bills transmitted to the state assembly were 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,” he said.
At least 24 State Houses of Assembly, which represents a 2/3 majority must sign to approve the bill before it is transmitted to the president for accent.
