PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met with the Nigerian Governors Forum over the recent Executive Order 10 that gives autonomy to State legislatures and Judiciary.
President Buhari at the meeting agreed to delay gazetting of the Executive Order 10 after listening to the concerns raised by Governors on the Executive Order 10.
Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi said after listening to their concerns, about the constitutionality of the Executive Order, President Buhari agreed that the gazetting order would be delayed.
He said that the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, and the Attorney General of the Federation, General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami were at the meeting.
The meeting which he said was hosted by the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari was attended by Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and his Kebbi State counterpart, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu.
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’ve 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 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.”
He said that the Governors have also been consulting with the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, in order to work out an amicable resolution of the matter.
According to him, “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 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 and that 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. ”
When asked if they touched on the issue of the forthcoming governorship primaries in Edo State, Fayemi said they were in the State House to discuss strictly the issue of Executive Order 10 and the autonomy of State Judiciary and legislature.
Vanguard
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