No Arrest Without Informing Us and 5 Other Highlights of Southern Governors’ Meeting
- Southern governors are now united in their demands as it relates to the development of their region
- The governors in a meeting in Lagos declared that they must be informed before any security operation is carried out in their state
- Also, they demanded that the next president of the country in the year 2023 should come from the southern region
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In a united front, the governors of the 17 states in southern Nigeria have made their position on national issues known following their meeting in Lagos.
Legit.ng in this report brings you some of the highlights of the meeting.
1. No security operation in any state without the governor’s knowledge
The governors insisted that they must be informed before any operation can be undertaken in their state. This comes as the Department of State Services (DSS) invaded the home of Sunday Igboho in Oyo state.
“If for any reason security institutions need to undertake an operation in any State, the Chief Security Officer of the state must be duly informed.”
Source: Facebook
2. No to ‘selective criminal administration of justice’
The arrest of Nnamdi Kanu and the raid on Igboho’s house, (all in southern Nigeria) might have prompted the governors to maintain that arrests must follow the rule of law.
The federal government has been accused of not vigorously clamping down on bandits and terrorists' leaders with equal measures, The Cable reports.
“The forum frowns at selective criminal administration of Justice and resolved that arrests should be made within the ambit of the Law and fundamental human rights."
3. ‘No to 3 per cent share for host communities in PIB’
Southern governors have also kicked against the allocation of 3 per cent operating expenditure of oil firms to host communities.
Although five per cent was initially proposed, the joint Senate committee that worked on the bill recommended three per cent after meeting with some government officials including Timipre Sylva, minister of state for petroleum resources.
4. ‘Powershift to the south’
The Punch Newspaper reports that the forum said it remained committed to the “politics of equity and fairness”, and, as a result, resolved that “the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the Southern Region”.
5. ‘Open grazing ban takes effect on September 1’
The governors said they have resolved to set a timeline of September 1, 2021, “for the promulgation of the anti-open grazing law in all member states”.
6. ‘Electronic transmission of results a must’
The governors have also rejected the decision of the National Assembly leadership to expunge sections that provide for electronic transmission of election results from the electoral act amendment bill.
“In order to consolidate our democracy and strengthen the Electoral process, the Southern Governors’ Forum rejects the removal of the Electronic transmission of the election result from the electoral act."
Southern leaders frown at Tambuwal's move for 2023 presidency
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that southern leaders have frowned at Governor Aminu Tambuwal's move as he has started intensifying his efforts to realise his presidential ambition.
The leaders expressed their displeasure after the news broke about the Sokoto governor's bid for the country's number one job.
Southern leaders who are unhappy said it runs against the clamour for power shift to the south from the north as there has been agitation for the presidency to move down after the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.
Source: Legit.ng
