By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Buhari Support Organisation (BSO), South-East Zone, has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for signing Executive Order 10, 2020 meant to stop state governors from parading themselves as emperors.

The Executive Order 10 signed by the President on May 20, 2020, expressly guaranteed financial autonomy of state legislature and judiciary.

The statement, which was issued by BSO South-East after its virtual meeting on Sunday, was signed by its Chairman, Chief Stanley Ohajuruka, and Secretary, Mr. Godwin Onwusi.

In the statement titled ‘Executive Order 10, 2020, Repeal of Emperorship and Implementation of the Doctrine of Separation of Power at the State Level,’ the group noted that the toga governors wore, beclouded them from adherence to the fine tenets of separation of power, hence the non-implementation of financial autonomy for state legislature and judiciary as enshrined in the constitution.

The statement reads in part: “To BSO, the Executive Order 10, 2020, has set the stage to repeal the emperorship toga which most of the governors are wearing and which is unknown to our constitution.

“It also beclouded them from optimal performance and adherence to the fine tenets of Separation of Power.

“A cursory genuine assessment of democracy at the state level gazettes that of rubber stamp legislatures and tepid state judiciary. This dampens development, creates insecurity, gross unemployment and paralysis of local council. Is that what we want?

“It will be recalled that President Buhari in exercise of the powers vested in him as the President under Section 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), signed the Executive Order 10, 2020 on May 20, 2020.

“The order extends to the execution and maintenance of the Constitution, laws made by the National Assembly (including but not limited to Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which guarantees financial autonomy of the state legislature and the state judiciary.”

The statement, however, dismissed the opposition of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) to the order, especially Section 7(b) which mandates Accountant General of the Federation to take appropriate action to enforce compliance with the provisions of the order.

“If Section 121(3) of the Constitution was implemented by our governors before now, would there be any need for President to sign Executive Order 10. Let’s be real. There is no democracy at the state level. That is why they answer Executive Governors, when there are no two governors in a state. And this is why democracy is more or less in recession in Nigeria.”

It also said that intendment of the order was supervisory or in other words, proper supervision to ensure implementation by recalcitrant governors who fail to implement the provision of Section 121 (3) of the Constitution, which they swore to uphold.

Contrary to claims that the order infringes on true federalism, the statement said: “True federalism is better served and indeed actualised when you have independent legislature and judiciary at the state level.

Have you asked yourself why the governors are more preoccupied with political domination of their citizens with security votes than socio-economic development?

“Is there freedom at the state level? Is there any law which prohibits a state to generate electricity? Is there any law which prevents a state from embarking on agrarian revolution?”

The statement said that BSO South-East maintained that the governors as “emperors” were averse to alternative view points, and crave for adoration and praise singers, which hinder development.

It urged the governors to comply fully with first-line charge for funding of state legislature and judiciary as it would in the long run, result in a win-win situation for our collective good.

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