By Khalid Idris Doya
The Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Y. Suleiman, has said that the cordial relationship between the legislature and the executive does not prevent the Assembly from subjecting requests from the governor to due legislative process.
The Speaker stated this while responding to questions on how the legislature could maintain a productive relationship with the executive without compromising its constitutional responsibilities.
He spoke during a panel discussion at a colloquium organised to commemorate the 68th birthday of Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, held at the Ahmadu Bello International Conference Centre, Bauchi, yesterday.
Abubakar stressed that productive relationships, cooperation, mutual respect and understanding between the legislature and executive were essential to the effective functioning of democracy.
According to him, the absence of such a relationship could lead to unnecessary confrontation between the two arms of government, ultimately depriving citizens of meaningful development projects and beneficial legislation.
He explained that the mutual respect between the two arms had enabled the governor to respect the Assembly, while the lawmakers reciprocated by supporting policies and programmes aimed at improving the lives of the people.
The Speaker, however, emphasised that the cordial relationship did not mean the Assembly would abandon its constitutional responsibilities or approve requests from the executive without proper scrutiny.
He said, "The cordial relationship does not prevent the House from subjecting the governor’s requests to due legislative procedures before final approval."
Abubakar recalled instances in some states where disagreements between the executive and legislature had resulted in prolonged conflicts, noting that the people were often the ultimate victims as the provision of basic amenities and implementation of development programmes suffered.
He therefore advocated a shared commitment between the executive and legislature, with the welfare and development of the people placed above personal or political interests.
The Speaker said that when both arms of government were genuinely committed to serving the people, there would be little reason for the Assembly to reject well-intentioned government proposals.
He also called for sustained dialogue between the governor and lawmakers, saying regular consultations would enable both sides to identify challenges, discuss possible solutions and make recommendations before proposals were formally presented to the Assembly.
According to him, such an approach would make the consideration and passage of budgets and other government proposals easier, while strengthening cooperation between the two arms of government.
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