Trouble is gradually brewing in the Anambra State House of Assembly over the autonomy of the state legislature. Investigation by The Trumpet revealed that Professor Chukwuma Soludo has refused to implement the state legislature autonomy Act which was passed by the state assembly during the administration of Governor Willie Obiano.
It was revealed that the Anambra State House of Assembly in July 2021 passed its Legislative Fund Management Bill to facilitate and strengthen the implementation of financial autonomy for the state legislature. Governor Obiano graciously accented to the bill and made it a law before he left office on March 17, 2022. Professor Soludo was said to have told the House in one of their meetings that he was not going to implement the law to allow financial autonomy for the state assembly.
He was quoted as purportedly saying that his predecessor did not sign the Act in good fate. And vowed to challenge the passage of the Legislative Fund Management Act in court. This has put a sharp division in the state assembly. Last week Tuesday, there was a debate in the House. Majority of the house members were visibly angry that the Speaker is not doing anything to compel the governor to implement the Act so that they can manage their own fund and stop being rubber stamp to Agu Awka.
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Some of them lamented that the governor who said that he was coming to run a transparent government is kicking against the financial autonomy of the state legislature. Some of them said that while he reduced their allowances, his security vote remains as high. At the plenary last week, some of the house members walked out of the Speaker when it became obvious that he was not ready to fight for the implementation of the law because of his reelection bid in 2023 and hope of retaining his position as Speaker.
Apart from the Speaker, some members of the house who picked the ticket to return to the assembly are not also keen to fight for the implementation of their financial autonomy. A law that was signed into law by Governor Obiano. They are afraid to confront the governor. But the question on their lips is why the governor does not want the financial autonomy for the state assembly despite his posture.
Majority of the members are therefore threatening that unless he implements the law, they will not approve the list of TC chairmen for him and may not also approve the revised budget currently before them. A source told The Trumpet that majority of the members may pass a vote of no confidence on the Speaker if he continues to be a rubber stamp to Agu Awka.
