N’Assembly won’t tolerate crisis in state assemblies -Gbajabiamila
By Henry Omunu, Abuja
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has vowed that the National Assembly would tolerate the breakdown of law and order in any state Houses of Assembly.
Gbajabiamila gave the warning at round-table organized by the Conference of Speakers of state Houses of Assembly on Tuesday in Lagos.
Represented by Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, the speaker stated that the National Assembly being the apex legislative institution in the country made positive interventions that resulted in the resolution of the challenges experienced by state Houses of Assembly in Bauchi and Edo states.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, the National Assembly is the head of the legislature in Nigeria. Events of recent weeks in some parts of the country tended to go in the wrong direction, but we are glad that intervention by the National Assembly has brought wisdom to play, particularly, in Bauchi and Edo states,” the speaker enthused.
He asserted that such interventions by the National Assembly are necessary to safeguard the institution of the legislature, saying that
“I want to assure you that the National Assembly would not allow any breakdown of law and order in any state assembly, let alone to contemplate any vacuum.”
The speaker enjoined speakers of state assemblies on the need for caution in the discharge of their functions, with a view to ensuring the sanctity of the legislature as an institution.
“My distinguished speakers, l must point here that there is a need for caution. The caution lies in our collective efforts to ensure that the work of lawmakers, be it at the state or national level does not suffer any infringement.
“We must not only be seen to be working, but work in a way that our work would speak for us. Of particular note, is the need to point out the sanctity of the National Assembly which must be recognized,” he said.
The round-table was organized by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
