Speaker of the House of Representative Femi Gbajabiamila has said the National Assembly will challenge the ruling which restrained it from taking over legislative functions of the Edo State House of Assembly.
Gbajabiamila spoke when the Progressive Governors’ Forum visited the leadership of the National Assembly in Abuja.
He said: “While addressing the issue of one party and one government, myself and the Senate president will want to draw our attention to the issue of the crisis in Bauchi and Edo states. While we resolved the issue in Bauchi, we could not do same in Edo State. I think this is what we have to look at and prioritise. We should consider how to constitutionally address the issue.
“The National Assembly is surprised that the exclusive constitutional roles given to us as prescribed in Section 12 of the Constitution, which is written unambiguously clear was being tested. We are a bit concerned about that. Of course we have three arms of government and on the basis of that, we will be going to court to resolve not just the judgment, but to ensure that any other related issues like that do not come up again.
“The House of Representatives has adopted a theme: “The nation building is a joint task”; that is how we operate in the National Assembly irrespective of our political divide. We have resolved to come together when it comes to national issues. We believe since there is one government, there should be a symbiotic relationship between the governors and the legislators.”
Read Also: JUST IN: Restraining Order on Edo Assembly crisis worries NASS leaders
President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan described the meeting as a special moment for the National Assembly. “This is a special moment for us; this is the first meeting between the leadership of the National Assembly of the APC stock and the progressive governors. It is a fact and a truism that our party, particularly our governors, did so well, they work so hard and assiduously to ensure that the leadership of the National Assembly emerged with little or no hitch in the 2019 leadership contest. We thank you for that show of trust.
“We believe that you have done your part by giving us all the support that we needed. The ball is now in our court to take this leadership in trust and we intend to remain resolute, we intend to remain very loyal to the party and the principles that we stand for.
“We intend to remain committed and dedicated to the Nigerian ideals of making sure that the country provides all the necessary services to citizens especially when it comes to the area of ensuring security, safety and welfare of citizens.”
The governors’ forum was led by its Chairman and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Abubakar Bagudu.
Present were All Progressives Congress governors Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Nasir Elrufai (Kaduna); Babagana Zulum (Borno); Mohammed Yahaya (Gombe); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Sani Bello (Niger); Mai Mala Buni (Yobe); Abdulrahaman Abdulrazak (Kwara) and Godwin Obaseki (Edo).
Nasarawa’s State Deputy Governor Emmanuel Akabe represented the governor.
Both chambers of the National Assembly in June resolved to take over legislative duties of the Edo State House of Assembly following the proclamation crisis.
Leave a Reply