By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

Nigeria’s state legislative houses have severally failed the test of democratic reasonableness having repeatedly proved to be tools of state governors against the very principles of separation of power

The appellation of honourable to our state legislators was again brought to question earlier this month after supposedly Honourable Members of the Ondo State House of Assembly reversed the purported impeachment of the Speaker, Mrs. Jumoke Akindele.

Mrs. Akindele had been impeached by 18 of the 26 members of the House purportedly for cuddling too much to Governor Olusegun Mimiko supposedly to their detriment.

Ms Jumoke Akindele

Mrs. Akindele had on the night of Tuesday, March 8 at a meeting in the private residence of one of the House members been impeached by 18 members who were present.

Their beef with Mrs. Akindele reportedly arose from the non-payment of their salaries for the last three months. Besides, the members were alleged to have complained of not having been provided with official quarters.

Mrs. Akindele, who they thought, should be protecting their interests, they murmured, was not pressing their case.

Remarkably, the night the members took the decision, Governor Mimiko was out of town, and it took his intervention, the following day for the Honourable Members to “eat their words” and recall Mrs. Akindele as Speaker.

At the plenary session that followed the reconciliation, it was, however, evident that the supposedly Honourable Members were being coerced into a script that was written by the governor.

Giving notice of their return to the status quo, chairman of the House Committee on Information, Mr. Olamide George said: “Before plenary today, Wednesday 9th March 2016, members, at a larger and official gathering met to review the situation and consequently resolved to allow the status quo ante on the leadership of Ondo State House of Assembly as at 7th March 2016 to remain,” Mr. George stated.

“The House of Assembly remains united, cohesive and alive to its constitutional responsibilities. The issue of leadership is an internal affair and has been treated as such.”

Though the governor was not at the plenary session that followed later that Wednesday, his political enforcers led by the state party chairman, Clement Faboyede and a large retinue of security men were present in the chambers to see to the enforcement of the governor’s desire.

Mrs. Akindele back to the speaker’s chair: The restiveness of state legislators is, however, not limited to Ondo State.

Adjourning of plenary proceedings

That same Tuesday in the neighbouring Edo State, members of the state House of Assembly turned the floor to a riot scene when they embarked on work to rule action, and refused to allow deliberations.

Instructively, members from both the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP reportedly chorused no, no to pleas from the speaker and the principal officers to get the House into the day’s session. The beef of the Edo legislators was reportedly the failure of the administration to provide them with vehicles and other welfare packages.

With the rebellion starring the leadership in the face, the speaker was forced to adjourn plenary proceedings for two weeks. Just as in Ondo State, it was also gathered that the Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was forced to intervene to help calm the frayed nerves of the legislators.

The governor reportedly promised to address the welfare issues as concerning the legislators as soon as the funds of the state improve.

The interventions of Governors Mimiko and Oshiomhole into the affairs of the legislature in their states is partly reflective of the lack of capacity by state legislatures.

Remarkably, six years ago when they had an opportunity to change their status through the Constitution Review process that would have granted financial autonomy to the states, at least, 12 of the state legislative houses failed to approve the amendment.

Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, executive director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in response to the development squarely puts the problem at the doorstep of the legislators who he said failed to take the opportunity of the constitution amendment exercise to free themselves from the apron string of the governors.

That attachment is not just in respect of finances, but also even to the extent of using the floor to achieve the political desires of the governors.

Blind loyalty of the speaker

In Edo State, for example, the continuing refusal of the Speaker of the House Mr Victor Edoror, to swear in Mr. Sylvanus Eruaga, who was about three months ago, declared the winner of the Etsako West II State Constituency has been put on the blind loyalty of the speaker to the governor.

Mr. Edoror it is alleged would want to embarrass the governor by allowing Eruaga who belongs to the PDP into the chamber.

Remarkably, the speaker is now facing contempt proceedings on account of his refusal to follow the orders of the court.

In some cases, legislatures taking extreme positions either in support or against the governor have found themselves to be almost consumed in the process.

An example is the Kogi State House of Assembly whose functions have recently been taken over by the National Assembly following divisions supposedly fuelled by the advent of the new governor.

Not a few were amused when members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly recently took decisions to defend to death Governor Ayodele Fayose whom they alleged was facing extreme persecution from the APC led Federal Government.

Another example of such sycophancy has also been recently demonstrated in Kano State where the legislators openly took side in the confrontation between Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and his predecessor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwanso. Such acts of spinelessness are reflective of the lack of principle which CISLAC’s Musa traces as one of the banes of the country’s democracy.