The Federal Government is to delay the gazetting of Presidential Executive Order 10 that gave autonomy to state legislature and the judiciary following some constitutional hiccups raised by the governors.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, disclosed this to State House Correspondents after a meeting between some governors and the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN).
“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 ok, 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.”
Persecondnews recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari had in May signed the Executive Order which has yet to be gazetted.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari hosted the meeting attended by Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and his Kebbi State counterpart, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu.
According to Fayemi, Buhari after listening to their concerns about the constitutionality of the Executive Order, agreed that the gazetting of the order will be delayed.
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 Planning and Budget 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 and 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 is the position of the 36 governors of the federation.
Fayemi explained that the governors have also been consulting with the Conference of Speakers of State Legislature in order to work out an “amicable” solution 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, Governor Tambuwal of Sokoto State, was delegated as the Chair of the 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 and that committee has been meeting with a delegation of the Conference of Speakers working out this modalities.
“We believe that all of that would be settled amicably without any resort to court,”Fayemi said.
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