At Last, Governors Kill Local Govt Autonomous Bill, As Senate Transmits 35 Bills For President’s Assent

By Ayodele Oni

Hope of local governments in Nigeria to be self independent seems to have hit the rock at the national assembly.

This follows decision by the Senate to transmit 35 of the 44 bills in the Constitution Amendment bills to the President for assent, excluding the local council autonomous act.

With this development, the red chamber may have bowed to the pressure of the state governors that have been working to frustrate the bill.

Majority of the governors had put pressure on the state legislature not to pass the local government autonomous bill, which they see as an attempt to stop them from tinkering with funds from the federation account to the councils.

At their sitting on Tuesday, the senators directed the clerk of the national assembly to transmit the 35 bills to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

The constitution demands that at least 24 state assemblies must have passed the bill before the constitution amendment bill is transmitted to the President for assent.

So far, the 35 bills have been considered by 27 state Houses of Assembly and approved by at least 24 state assemblies as required by law.

The states are: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Rivers and Yobe.

The Senate stated that Section 9(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended provides that an Act to alter the provisions of the constitution can be passed only when it is supported by 2/3 majority of members of the Senate, and the House of Representatives, and approved by 24 state Houses of Assembly.

Sixty eight bills seeking to alter provisions of the constitution were presented at the floor of the Senate and the House of Representatives on Wednesday February 23, 2022, for passage.

It also added that the Senate and the House of Representatives approved 44 of the bills without difference and were transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly for their resolution; on March 27, 2022.