Ekiti Assembly Ratifies State Police, Judicial Autonomy, Others

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Ekiti State House of Assembly, yesterday, approved the creation of State Police and Judicial Autonomy in the ongoing fifth alteration to the Amendments to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

As part of its concurrence to the Constitutional Amendment bill, the Assembly also aligned with the National Assembly on the alteration to stipulated rules on how the  principal officers of the Houses of Assembly should be removed from offices to ensure stability in the system.

The amended bills were transmitted to the House of Assembly for ratification in March, 2022.

Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti, House Leader, Hon Gboyega Aribisogan, said the lawmakers ratified the alteration to the issue of law reform in the country for radical improvement in the qualities of laws that would guide the three arms of government.

“At the plenary, today, the assembly approved four areas being considered for amendment to the 1999 constitution by the National Assembly. What we did was just a concurrence to the amendments and not further alterations to what had been done by the National Assembly.

“These include the approval for the law mandating the state to have a state police to improve security across the county. We also approved a law stating the procedure to be followed for the removal of the principal officers of the Houses of Assembly to ensure stability and improve the quality of governance.

“The Assembly also unanimously approved the alteration to the constitution allowing state to have a law backing the establishment of State Judicial Council just like the National Judicial Council at the Federal level, so that the judiciary can be autonomous.

“It also approved the amendment to the proper regulation of the law reform to ensure that quality laws are made to guarantee good legislation and robust governance and equality in the system.”

Also, at the plenary, the Ekiti State Economic Development Council (Amendment) Bill 2022, which deal with composition and other matters of the Council was also passed, while a bill for the creation of additional three local Council Development Areas (LCDA) and two other bills were considered by the lawmakers.

The bill on creation of additional council development areas generated reactions from Hon Akin Osho, representing Ido Osi ll and Hon Adeyemi Ajibade, Moba l constituency.

The two lawmakers called on the House to use its constitutional power to consider their areas, saying the two constituencies were long due to have an LCDA or Council areas.

In his submission, the speaker of the Assembly Rt. Hon. Funminiyi Afuye admonished the lawmakers to liaise with the appropriate  committee on their demands for possible consideration.