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Raymond Ozoji, Awka
Lawmakers of the 7th Assembly of the Anambra State House of Assembly have in one accord debunked the notion that the present composition of the legislature is weak and susceptible to forces from the executive arm of the government.
This is coming on the heels of claims from the grapevine that the current crop of lawmakers in the 7th assembly were docile and not representative of the mandate bestowed on them by their constituents who elected into the legislature.
Be that as it may, the lawmakers have unanimously reaffirmed their positions, saying that it was wrong for any individual or group to allege that the current state assembly was weak in the execution of its constitutional mandate.
They all concurred that the 7th legislature was not the governor’s puppet but independent as an arm of the government with spelt-out functions and obligations.
The Chairman House of Assembly Committee on Information and Public Enlightenment Hon.Okechukwu Okoye said that lawmakers of the 7th assembly would not associate themselves with such notion on the ground that the current state assembly was about the most vibrant in the history of the state.
Okoye noted that the achievements of the current state assembly within 100 days of inauguration far superceded those of its predecessors.
He also pointed out that the legislators at the state level could not undertake the responsibilities of their federal counterparts as their functions and jurisdictions are clearly spelt out in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
Also, Lawrence Ezeudu of Dunukofia state constituency maintained that the 7th assembly under the leadership of Rt.Hon.Uche Okafor was not weak and could not be described as such.
Ezeudu explained that lawmakers in the 7th state assembly were no longer talking party politics but strictly core legislative business as it concerns the entire citizenry.
He described the Speaker of the 7th state assembly as a smart gentleman who indeed knows his onion in legislative matters and has equally brought his wealth of knowledge and experience to bear on the leadership and proceedings of the legislature, stressing that it was a blatant misnomer for anyone to refer to the 7th assembly as being weak and docile.
