Constitution Review: Akeredolu calls for scrapping of Senate

Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu called on Tuesday for the Senate to be abolished, with each zone having an equal number of four representatives in the National Assembly.

This information was revealed by Akeredolu at the House of Representatives Special Committee on Constitution Review’s public hearing in Akure, Southwest Zonal.

The governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, suggested that the country consider abandoning the current bicameral National Assembly system in favor of a unicameral legislature.

“The membership of the Assembly should be part time. No member should earn allowances not known to the Revenue Mobilisation and Allocation Committee, and the people they claim to serve.

“Legislators should earn under a uniform salary structure. Allowance peculiarities must not be about obscenity. The Senate should be scrapped. “The House of Representatives too should not be unwieldy. A maximum of four representatives should come from each Zone,” he said.

Akeredolu said that all issues which elicited distrust and suspicion must be investigated dispassionately. He said: “Nobody must be shut out; all must be treated equally. All decisions must be anchored on the principles of Equity and Justice.”

The governor stated that the examination of the constitution was a critical task that needed to be done seriously.

According to Akeredolu, revenue creation and allocation must reflect the level of participation a state has in the economy.

“Ministries, departments and agencies must be pruned to reflect the socio-economic realities of the moment.

“The government at the centre must divest itself of this self-inflicted heavy burden, for effective and impactful performance,” he noted.

Later, he urged for state police, resource control, and judicial changes, particularly now that each zone has its own court of appeals. 

“We will have resolved many fundamental concerns of nationhood with the adoption,” Akeredolu stated, referring to the Republican Constitution of 1963. 

Mr Peter Akpatason, Chairman of the Southwest Zonal Public Hearing, Akure Centre, had earlier stated that the event was vital to have public feedback.