President Muhammadu Buhari has bowed to the pressure mounted by the Nigerian governors over the gazetting of the Executive Order 10 which grants financial autonomy to state legislatures and Judiciary.
Recall that on May 22, Mr Buhari had signed an Executive Order granting financial autonomy to the legislature and the judiciary in the 36 states of the federation.
Reacting to the development, state governors under the auspices of the NGF headed by Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, disclosed that they would convoke an emergency meeting to deliberate on the President’s action.
Speaking to the State House correspondents at the end of the closed door meeting with the officials of the Presidency on Monday, the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum and Ekiti state governor, Fayemi Kayode, disclosed that the President had agreed to delay gazetting the order.
According to him, the president’s decision followed the concerns raised by the governors on the modalities for the implementation of the Executive Order 10.
He said: “We have a delegation of the governors’ Forum here to discuss some matters of fundamental importance to the nation and the President has asked that we meet with the Attorney General, the Chief of Staff and the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning on the issue.
“It is an issue that has seized the interest of many of you in the media and a lot of people in the federation; it is about the autonomy of the State legislature and the judiciary.
“We have met with the President before now on it and the President was very pleased that for us as governors, we are all united in support of the autonomy of State judiciary and the legislature; that’s the position of the 36 governors of the federation.
“What is at issue is on the constitutionality of the modalities of what had been put in the Executive Order and the President was gracious enough to say okay, given your concerns about that we will delay the gazetting of the order and allow you meet with the Attorney General and the Minister of Finance out work out the modalities.”
He disclosed that the governors had since embarked on consultations with the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, in order to work out an amicable resolution of the matter.
“In any case, we have been meeting at our level with the conference of Speakers.
“The Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum; Gov. Tambuwal of Sokoto State, was delegated as the Chair of a number of Governors who have gained legislative experience either because they were in the House of Representatives or they were Speakers of State Assemblies, or they were Senators.
“The committee has been meeting with a delegation of the Conference of Speakers, working out these modalities and we believe that all of that would be settled amicably without any resort to court.’’
Daily Nigeria
