Workers shut down Ondo assembly over LG autonomy
Workers and members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Ondo State branch have protested over mounted pressure on the Ondo lawmakers to vote against the Local Government Autonomy in the new constitution being reviewed by the National Assembly.
The state union President, Comrade Bola Taiwo, led the protesting workers who shut down the state House of Assembly complex on Tuesday in Akure.
The workers vowed, “No autonomy, no election in Ondo state in the forthcoming general election.
Only two out of 26 lawmakers showed up at the Assembly complex as others stayed away and the plenary sitting slated for 1:00 pm is yet to commence as of the time of filing this report.
The workers, led by their State President, Comrade Bola Taiwo, said they would not allow the Assembly members to have access to the complex unless they guaranteed them the passage of the local government autonomy.
Read Also: APC mocks Okupe calls for his resignation from Obi’s campaign
The NULGE officials also threatened to paralyze the state’s social, economic and political activities if the Assembly members refused to pass the local government autonomy bill pending before them into law.
There was alleged pressure on the House of Assembly from the Executive Arm of government to vote against the local government autonomy in the new constitution being reworked by the National Assembly.
A reliable source within the Assembly where the issue of the constitutional amendment was discussed said the majority of the lawmakers were in a shouting match over whether or not the issue of local government autonomy should be scrapped.
The workers NULGE officials who came to the Assembly complex with different placards said they would use their voting power to reject any lawmaker or party that denied them the autonomy in the constitution being reworked by the National Assembly.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards read “Yes to LG autonomy”, “Yes to judicial autonomy”, “No autonomy, No vote”, and “On autonomy, we stand”, among others.
Workers shut down Ondo assembly over LG autonomy
