Osun Assembly tackles Senate over plan to probe Aregbesola

The Osun State House of Assembly has said the Senate has no constitutional power to probe how Governor Rauf Aregbesola applied the bailout given to the state by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria.


The state lawmakers said this in a statement signed by the  Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, after plenary on Tuesday.

The Osun lawmakers said this following a matter of urgent public importance raise by the Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Mr. Kamil Oyedele, on the propriety or otherwise of the Senate’s plan to probe the state’s bailout.

Oyedele said by Section.120 sub-section 1-4, Section 121 sub-section 1, 2; and 4 Section 128 in conjunction with the second schedule of the constitution part 11, page 299, that if at all the National Assembly had such power, it had to be by an act not just by ordinary motion; because it was not an exclusive matter and there was no existing law on it before now.

“So, with these relevant sections, the state Assembly is the arm of government empowered to carry out such probe,” he said, adding that the Senate was only attempting to usurp the power of the state lawmakers.

The Speaker, Mr. Najeem Salam, said the state lawmakers were not at war with the Senate but stated that the two must work in accordance with the provisions of the law.

The Speaker said, “The state government has the authority of this parliament to get the funds and if there is any issue, we are the ones empower to probe and make a recourse to the National Assembly if there is need for such.

“As I am talking, we have not received any letter from the Senate relating to the issue of bailout as colleagues.

“It must be noted that the bailout is a loan that would be paid back, not grant and there are budgetary provisions for it. As a result, the state parliament is monitoring it, but with the action of the Senate, it seems we need to make the monitoring open.”