Edo Speaker denies alleged plan to repeal legislative, judicial autonomy

The Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yekini Idaiye, has vehemently denied allegations that the House intends to repeal the financial autonomy law for the Legislature and Judiciary. He stated that the current proposal focuses on amending the law to enhance project monitoring, not to reverse the autonomy already granted.

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We are not reversing the autonomy. We are all beneficiaries of autonomy.

Idaiye explained that the confusion arose when he was observed reading an old document during a plenary session. He assured journalists that the House remains committed to the autonomy, emphasizing that both the Legislature and Judiciary benefit from it. The proposed amendment, he elaborated, seeks to address issues related to capital projects, where a lack of proper monitoring has been identified.

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So for us to have a good understanding of the purpose of which we got the autonomy, especially on the side of the project party, what we are thinking is that we want to create a form of an agency.

To improve oversight, the Speaker proposed creating a dedicated agency responsible for monitoring the release of funds, execution, and supervision of all capital projects for both the legislative and judicial arms. This agency would ensure that projects are properly managed from inception to completion, requiring a certificate upon finishing. He confirmed that this initiative would apply equally to the judiciary, as both branches are closely linked.

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I don’t know how they were misled by the so-called social media voices, you know they want to run down the government.

Blaming misinformation circulating on social media for the controversy, Idaiye praised Governor Monday Okpebholo's administration for its effective performance. He stressed that the amendment would only affect the operational framework for capital projects, leaving the financial aspects of autonomy untouched. The goal, he concluded, is to improve efficiency and accountability in project execution.

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What we are saying is that the amendment is not going to affect the financial aspect of it, but the operational side of it that it will affect. I don’t even want to say the capital