Members Of State Assemblies Have Turned To Governors’ Puppets – Omo-Agege

The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, has claimed that members of the various State Houses of Assemblies have become puppets of the Governors.

Naija News reports that Omo-Agege, who is the Chairman of the Senate Constitution Review Committee, made the claim on Tuesday at a media briefing in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The lawmaker stated some governors are working to turn state assemblies into their political puppets in order to control them to do their bidding.

Omo-agege also accused some governors of frustrating the efforts of the constitutional amendment process through the speakers of the state houses of assembly.

The lawmaker said only 11 out of the 36 states have considered the constitutional amendment bills which were transmitted to houses of assembly in March.

He said: “We want to ensure everyone understands this. The national assembly is in no way averse to acting on any proposed bill or memoranda appropriately tabled before it, at any time in its life.

“Let us be clear. The bills the national assembly transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly as required by the constitution are 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. The offices and positions we each hold belong to the people. And they yearn for a government that is honest, accountable, and responsive to their needs.

“It is, therefore, disheartening that some state houses of assembly, through the conference of speakers, would give the national assembly conditions before fulfilling their constitutional obligations.

“Although the conference of Speakers did not allude to it in their letter, we are aware of the undue interference with legislative processes and the political capture of some state houses of assembly by some state governors.

“No doubt, some state governors have worked tirelessly to turn the conference of speakers and some state assemblies into political puppets, thereby undermining and delegitimising the legislative institution at the state level.

“This interference has been ramped up, especially in opposition to the bills granting financial and administrative autonomy to local governments.”