The ongoing account of stewardship exercise of Ekiti Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) embarked upon by the Ekiti State House of Assembly has reportedly caused ripples in the state.
The live-stream occured on on Thursday via its YouTube and Facebook channels, ‘Ekiti state house of assembly live.’
According to information gathered by NPO Reports,Ekiti Council Chairmen Battle Assembly over account of stewardship
the decision to beam it live May not have gone down well with the Local government chairmen.
There indications that the chairmen of the 16 Local Government and 22 Local Council Development Areas went into a meeting immediately after Thursday’s exercise where they resolved not to appear before the house plenary beamed live henceforth as they were not comfortable answering questions bothering on their account of stewardship in the full glare of the camera.
The chairmen who appeared before the house on Thursday were said to have been mad at the Assembly with the way they were drilled by the lawmakers despite belonging to the same party which made them resolved that the remaining chairmen who are yet to appear should not appear.
Insider sources revealed that some party leaders especially the Commissioner for Local Government, Mr. Olubode Foluso are in support of the non-appearance of the remaining local government chairmen while one of the chairmen was overheard bragging that “the Speaker had been reprimanded, now let’s see how he dares to summon us again”
The constitution in section 128- 129 empowers the House of Assembly to carry out oversight functions on Local government councils and Ministries, Departments and Agencies. Section 128 empowers the House of Assembly to cause enquiry or ask questions on any matter or thing with respect to which it has power to make laws; and the conduct of affairs of any person, authority, ministry or government department charged, or intended to be charged, with the duty of or responsibility for;
i) executing or administering laws enacted by that House of Assembly, and
(ii) disbursing or administering moneys appropriated or to be appropriated by such House.
(2) The powers conferred on a House of Assembly under the provisions of this section are exercisable only for the purpose of enabling the House to –
(a) make laws with respect to any matter within its legislative competence and correct any defects in existing laws; and
(b) expose corruption, inefficiency of waste in the execution or administration of laws within its legislative competence and in the disbursement or administration of funds appropriated by it.
Section 129 of the constitution went further to prescribe sanctions including arrest of anybody who refuses to honour the summons of the House of Assembly.
Section 128 stated, “a House of Assembly or a committee appointed in accordance with section 103 of this Constitution shall have power to –
(a) procure all such evidence, written or oral, direct or circumstantial, as it may think necessary or desirable, and examine all persons as witnesses whose evidence may be material or relevant to the subject matter;
(b) require such evidence to be given on oath;
(c) summon any person in Nigeria to give evidence at any place or produce any document or other thing in his possession or under his control, and examine him as a witness and require him to produce any document or other thing in his possession or under his control, subject to all just exceptions; and
(d) issue a warrant to compel the attendance of any person who, after having been summoned to attend, fails, refuses or neglects to do so and does not excuse such failure, refusal or neglect to the satisfaction of the House of Assembly or the committee, and order him to pay all costs which may have been occasioned in compelling his attendance or by reason of his failure, refusal or neglect to obey the summons and also to impose such fine as may be prescribed for any such failure, refusal or neglect; and any fine so imposed shall be recoverable in the same manner as a fine imposed by a court of law.
(2) A summons or warrant issued under this section may be served or executed by any member of the Nigeria Police Force or by any person authorised in that behalf by the Speaker of the House of Assembly of the State”
The exercise continues on Monday but the question on the lips of many people in Ekiti is that will the Ekiti State House of Assembly which is regarded as a rubber stamp be able to continue its oversight functions on the Chairmen of councils who have threatened to dare its authority? Time will tell.