By Tina George – Minna
A lawmaker in Niger state House of Assembly, Madaki Bosso has called on the federal government and National Assembly, NASS, to declare a state of emergency in all states of the federation.
Speaking to journalists in Minna on Tuesday, Bosso noted that the 36 governors had held the states hostage by promoting the continued strikes of Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, and Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, PASAN.
According to him, it is a malfunction of the constitution for only one arm of government, the executive, to be operational for over three months.
“I am calling in the federal government and the National Assembly to declare a state of emergency on states if the governors continue to refuse to implement the autonomy of the judiciary and the legislature.
“Nothing is functional in this country anymore because only one arm of government is working. The constitution and the setting of democracy know why it made the government have three arms and this is because every arm of government has its function to perform so that governance can be effective.
“So, if only one arm of government is working and the other two are not working, what is the benefit of democracy? How will governance function properly? The people are suffering because only one arm of government is functioning,” the lawmaker said.
Bosso called on the speakers of states assemblies, to invoke section 188(11) of the constitution on the governors if they failed to do the needful.
He noted that the autonomy of legislators and the judiciary were constitutional provisions in section 121(3) of the constitution, which violation could be described as gross misconduct.
“I call on the members of the states assemblies to have a rethink about doing the needful and not allowing the parliamentary workers to do what the legislators are supposed to do.
“It is time we talk to PASAN to call off their strikes so that members can come back and invoke section 188(11) of the constitution if the governors continue with their refusal to implement the autonomy of legislature and judiciary. We cannot continue to allow people to suffer like this.
“The duty to ensure that governors implement this constitutional provision, is not with the parliamentary association but with the legislature. But sadly, we are not doing what is expected of us. We cannot continue to allow them to ride on everybody.
“The governors are holding the country to ransom; nothing is working. How can only one arm of government be functioning for three months? This has to stop,” he declared.
