State Houses Assembly Speakers’ seek amendment on impeachment procedures

Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly on Thursday, requested for an amendment to impeachment procedures of Speakers of State Assemblies.

Hon. Abdullahi Bawa Wuse, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly made the request in Abuja at the national public hearing on review of the 1999 Constitution.

Speaking on behalf of the Conference of Speakers, Abdullahi said that there was a need to strengthen legislative procedures of removing a Speaker.

He pointed out that the process of removing a Speaker of a house of assembly without fair hearing was an embarrassing situation that had always played out in Nigeria.

He said: “The conference is proposing an amendment to section 92(c) of the constitution. The speakers deserve fair hearing and not for those members to come up and remove the Speaker without hearing from the Speaker.

“So we are calling for the procedure where the Speaker should be heard and the allegation properly investigated and, if found indicted, then he is removed,” he said.

He  further lamented that the current lack of financial autonomy for state Assemblies had brought untold hardship on them, stressing that it had become imperative to amend Section 123(3) to reflect implementation of financial autonomy.

He also said that the Conference was proposing devolution of powers to states and local governments on issues relating to mineral resources, mining, geological survey, aviation among others.

In her presentation, former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, called for a single issue amendment to the Constitution to allow for a referendum by Nigerians for a deliberation for a new constitution.

(New Telegraph)