By Adeyinka Adeniran
A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Ogun state House of Assembly, representing the Ijebu North East State Constituency, Hon. Seun Adesanya, has blamed the non-implementation of the local government, judiciary and legislative autonomy on the National Assembly and the Governors, describing them as ‘Conspirators’.
The opposition lawmaker, who is a legal practitioner, made the allegation on Monday during an interview on “Frontline”, a programme monitored by New Telegraph on the 102. 5 FM Radio Station based in Ilese Ijebu.
Adesanya commended the Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), for taking the matter to the Supreme Court and securing a judgment on it, but said that though President Bola Tinubu has a good intention on the issue of autonomy, he does not really have the political will to implement it, and the duo of the National Assembly and the state governors make the matter worse because of its implication on their immediate and future ambitions.
Vowing that no one agitated more than the lawmakers, especially in Ogun state, for autonomy of the Legislature, Judiciary and even the Local Government, Adesanya who spoke on the issue of N150m Constituency Project funding which each of the legislators recently got from the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government, said that, “Legislators are perpetual agitators. We have been agitating for this constituency project funding since the beginning of this 10th Assembly, but you know the governor controls our purse. We are not Mr. Governor. It takes this long before we secure the funding because he who pays the piper dictates the tune. This is governance. We are rivals with the Executive and that is the truth. The Judiciary and the Executive, as well as, the Legislature, have their different functions. For the Executive to have their way, they won’t want to allow the Judiciary and the Legislature to be free.
“At a particular point in time, I give it to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. He approached the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court gave judgment in favour of this issue of autonomy. Though it is in the interest of Mr. President to achieve that, there is no political will in him because he also needs his second term. To achieve this, he needs the governors who must allow the autonomy. The Senators and House of Reps members need their governors to secure ticket on whatever party platform they are going to run to secure their second or third term too. Now, these monies go into the pockets of these governors. How do we go about this? Who will bell the cat? That is the problem we are having regarding this autonomy of a thing.
“Like I said, the issue is that of political will. If the National Assembly want to do it, it costs them nothing. When they wanted to suspend Senator Natasha from Kogi, they knew how they accelerated the process. When they wanted to approve the loan for Mr. President, they accelerated it. When they wanted to pass the Emergency Rule executive order on Rivers State, they accelerated it. Why didn’t they accelerate this one of legislative, judiciary and local government autonomy?
“In Ogun state, we have done all we need to have done at the state level in domesticating the Legislative Autonomy. Fund Management Committee had been formed to take it to the Executives for approval. But someone that wants to check you, you won’t allow him to be let loose or be free. If you have much money in your pocket, you can do anything. If the legislative arm should have much money to spend, they can do anything.
“Without mincing words, I can agree with the saying that governors have become tyrants in their states. I don’t pretend. I can say that the executive governor of Ogun state is trying his best with regard to taking care of the legislators, but the best is not enough because we need our autonomy. And that is the truth. It is a very simple thing to solve this problem. Certain percentage of allocation that comes to the state is statutorily for the legislature. Let the executive set up its own committee to work with the Fund Management Committee of the House of Assembly. Let the Speaker and other relevant members of the House be in attendance and then release the percentage due to the Legislature to us.
“Like I said, the governor of Ogun state is trying his best, but when it comes to this issue of autonomy, he is not an exception. All the governors are guilty of it. And when the situation is like this, it is only the President and the National Assembly that can come to our rescue, but are they ready to do that? And on the issue of taking judicial option to compel the governors to do the needful, who will bell the cat? I am in the opposition, (the PDP), and we are in the minority. Who then will bell the cat? If I were to be the Speaker, I would not have given a damn. But I am not”, Adesanya said regrettably.
