The recent adoption of local government autonomy by the National Assembly in the ongoing constitution amendment may suffer a major setback if the faction of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF loyal to Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State makes good its threat to black its approval through their Houses of Assembly.
The faction said that if the proposed amendment is approved by majority of the Houses of Assembly in the states, then it will grant the local governments financial and administrative autonomy, a move which it said does not correspond with the expectations of the people.
It will be recalled that the two chambers of the National Assembly had granted local governments in the country autonomy with the amendment of section 7 of the constitution in the ongoing process to amend the 1999 Constitution.
If the autonomy is backed by the state Assemblies, the constitution will clearly set out the provisions for funding, tenure, elections powers and responsibilities of local governments in the country and remove them from the mercy of state governments.
The Jang faction of the NGF, however vowed in a statement signed by Osaro Onaiwu on Thursday that the governors will mobilise lawmakers in their states to block the amendment.
The statement said: “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum under the leadership of Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has differed with the National Assembly over the move to amend the constitution and grant local governments full administrative and financial autonomy.”
According to the faction, some unnamed individuals were responsible for “using the conference committee to force through an amendment that was clearly rejected by the Senate during the constitution amendment debates and votes.”
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