THE Senator representing Anambra Central, Chief Annie Okonkwo, has bemoaned the inability of the section on the autonomy for the state Houses of Assembly to scale through the final amendment of the constitution, saying it means the Houses will continue to be tied to the apron strings of the state executive.

Addressing stakeholders at his third town hall meeting in Awka, the Senator said it was thought that the section would follow the way of the National Assembly, but regretted that the governors were able to manipulate the non- passage of that section of the Constitution.
He said: “We consider it a tragedy that Nigerians have kept quiet over the rejection of autonomy for state Houses of Assembly proposed by the National Assembly in the amendment of the Constitution.
“The National Assembly sees the amendment as an opportunity to exert the principle of Separation of Powers, but the governors brought their influence to bear on the lawmakers and today, they have planted a tragedy that will hurt our nation tomorrow.”
The rejection, he observed, has defeated some of the good intentions of members of the National Assembly on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

He, however, noted that the National Assembly has through the constitutional amendment of the 1999 Constitution, taken a bold step to a greater nationhood, adding that though the country could not be said to have got there yet, the amended sections were sure way of moving the country forward.