The Lagos State House of Assembly is headed for a showdown with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration.
On Monday, the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa ordered the Clerk of the House, Ganiyu Segun Abiru, to invite the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of the state, Adeniji Kazeem, for a meeting with the Principal Officers of the House over the request for the House to suspend some bills supposedly inherited from the previous Assembly.
The commissioner, apparently acting on Ambode’s directive, asked the 8th Assembly to stop legislative activities on outstanding Bills inherited from the previous assembly.
In the letter, which was read on the floor of the House by the Clerk, Mr. Ganiyu Abiru, the commissioner listed 15 Bills, which he said the House should suspend.
The Bills which include Lagos State Public Private Partnership Amendment bill 2013, Lagos State Sunset Agency bill 2013, Lagos State Police Regulatory Authority bill 2014, Lagos State Public Works Corporation 2014, Lagos State Examination Board bill 2014, Seal of Lagos State Government Amendment bill 2014, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency repeal and re-enactment bill 2014, Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection bill 2014.
Others are, Lagos State Tourism Promotion Agency bill 2014, Ibile Holding Corporation bill 2014, Lagos State Safety Commission swimming Pool Regulations 2014 Lagos State Water Infrastructure Development Fishery Regulation Bill 2014 as well as Lagos State Waterways Authority boat safety regulation 2014.
However, the House disagreed with the request thereby calling for a meeting with the Attorney General.
Majority Leader Sanai Agunbiade, opposed the Attorney General’s request, saying: “We cannot stop work on the bills as requested by the Attorney General. So, I will suggest that we should continue working on them,” he said.
Similarly, Gbolahan Yishawu said the executive could send any addition to the bills rather than calling for the suspension of works on them, adding that each arm of the government had its own responsibilities.
Lanre Ogunyemi, said that Ibile Oil and Gas was already a law and that it should not have been part of the bills suggested for suspension by the commissioner.
He, however, said that the Attorney General did not have the power to ask the Assembly to suspend the bills, saying that the fact that he had requested for the revival of the bills made the latest request unnecessary.
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