Shehu Sani Reveals Why State Lawmakers ‘Cannot’ Reject Governors’ Bills

A former senator, Shehu Sani, has revealed why state lawmakers find it difficult to reject bills sent to them by their governors.

According to Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District, any attempt by lawmakers to reject a governor’s bill could result in the impeachment of the speaker or suspension of the critical lawmaker.

Sani made this revelation in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter).

His words: “Members of States Houses of Assembly can never reject an executive Bill from their state Governors or else the speaker will be impeached, and if you are a member too critical of the Governor, you may earn suspension. This is the case in most of the states since 1999.”

This assertion highlights the enormous power wielded by state governors in Nigeria. They have significant control over the resources of their states, including security votes, which have been described by many as opaque.

Governors also lay claim to politics in their states, “pocketing” state assemblies and, in most instances, rendering local governments ineffective. This has led to a situation where most governors run a one-party state.