Constitutional Review: Speakers of State Assemblies Accuse Omo-Agege of Blackmail

The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria has accused the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo – Agege, of blackmailing and undermining the powers of the Assemblies.

Chairperson of the conference, Abubakar Sulaiman, who is also the Speaker of the Bauchi House of Assembly, in a statement sent to press accused Mr Omo-Agege of deliberately demonising state assemblies before Nigerians.

Mr Omo – Agege, who is the chairperson of the Constitution Review Committee (Senate), had accused the State House of Assemblies of delaying the Constitution Review process.

He said contrary to the claim by Mr Omo – Agege that only 11 Houses of Assemblies had passed the resolution of the National Assembly Review, 16 state assemblies have actually passed the resolution.

“Contrary to the number given by Sen Ovie Omo-Agege, the actual number of the State Houses of Assembly that have, so far, passed the resolutions of the National Assembly on the Constitution Review is 16. They are Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Kogi, Benue, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Katsina, and Adamawa States. We believe the misrepresentation was deliberate to demonize the Hon Speakers and the State Houses of Assembly in the eye of the citizenry. This is also regrettable and disappointing,” Mr Sulaiman said.

“It is very clear that the Press Release was designed not only to blackmail the State Houses of Assembly but also to undermine them. And we like to make it clear that we will not give in to blackmail and intimidation by anyone no matter how highly placed..” the statement reads.

Mr Sulaiman said the Conference of State Legislatures is adamant that the four more constitutional bills are considered by the National Assembly because they are major stakeholders with knowledge of happenings at the grassroots.

He noted that the four bills in contention are: establishing state police, streamlining the procedure for removing Presiding Officers of State Assemblies, Institutionalizing State Legislative Bureaucracy in the Constitution, and Establishing State Judicial Council.

He said they wrote to the chairmen of the constitution review committees conveying the bills only for the resolutions to be sent back to them without their proposed bills

“As major stakeholders in the Constitution alteration exercise and the representatives of the people at the grassroots, we are by far in a better position to know the basic and pressing needs of the people. Hence our appeal for the inclusion of the Bills. For instance, the issue of insecurity should agitate any conscientious leaders. So we believe this should be tackled frontally by the government. And the best way and the most generally accepted way to curb the menace, we believe, is by providing for state policing in the constitution. Sadly, the proposed amendment was missing in the Resolutions transmitted by the National Assembly to the State Houses of Assembly,” he said.

He said after receiving the resolutions, the conference appealed to the National Assembly for more consideration and Mr Omo – Agege assured them that the four bills would be considered.

“It is rather very disheartening that the Deputy Senate President could make a turnaround within few days of his reply to our letter to blackmail the Hon Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly by erroneously saying the Conference of Speakers “is using the four Bills as a quid pro quo to act on the 44 Bills the National Assembly transmitted to State Houses of Assembly”. The inconsistency and flip-flop displayed in his statements are regrettable and beneath the dignity of the occupant of such a revered office,” he said.

On the allegations that the State Houses of Assemblies are stooges to governors, Mr Sulaiman said checks and balances don’t necessarily mean confrontation.

He said Mr Omo – Agege would want to see state legislatures confronting state governors.

While insisting that state legislatures would never truncate the exercise, the Bauchi speaker said primary elections conducted by political parties were one of the reasons for the delay.

“His Excellency, the Deputy President, Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in his statements said the transmission of the resolution of the National Assembly has been made for six months now. It is correct. However, it should be made clear that the transmission was done when Political Parties’ National, Sub-National Conventions as well as Parties’ Primaries were being conducted in the country. Hence, the political Parties’ Primaries and other activities delayed the process at the state level.

“Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria has never truncated, and will never truncate any constitution alteration exercise in the country. The Conference has rather consistently served as a platform for the effective accomplishment of the noble goals of the exercises.

“We, therefore, want to use this medium to assure Nigerians that all the State Houses of Assembly shall ratify the resolutions of the National Assembly in the ongoing Constitution Review exercise in no distant time. It should also be stressed that no amount of blackmail and intimidation will stop or distract the State Houses of Assembly from diligently carrying out their constitutional roles. The alteration exercise of the Constitution is too important for a few to assume exclusive powers. And while reiterating our resolve to ratify the resolutions of the National Assembly on the ongoing review of the Constitution, it is important to educate that State Houses of Assembly are individually empowered by the Constitution to play their roles according to the needs of the people and that we shall do without playing to the gallery,” Mr Sulaiman said.