Abeokuta – The Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Mr Suraj Adekunbi, on Saturday said the people tagging legislators in the state’s 8th assembly as `rubber stamp’ were only challenging them to do more.

Adekunbi (APC-Yewa-North 1) told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta that the three arms of government needed to work together to fast track development and make the people feel the effects of good governance.

He, however, insisted that the legislators follow the necessary processes in considering and passing bills brought before them in the Assembly.

“We are almost six years into our administration, and if by now people are still saying the current house of assembly members are rubber stamping, I think they are doing that to challenge us.

“I believe that with the little we have done since we came in the second time, you will see that we don’t really have much difference from what we had in the first term.

“Our concern is about our people; when the executive brings anything to us, we normally follow due process that will give you that credibility; and so far so good , we have been operating within the law,” the speaker said.

He said that citizens, however, had the right to challenge whatever they thought was not right, saying reactions to government activities meant that the people were following governance.

“We have to appreciate our people for following what we are doing in the government because we are given the opportunity to govern them by way of election.

“For them to be reacting to issues regarding the activities of the government really shows that they are up and doing and they are alive to what we are doing, ” he said.

The speaker said the legislators would continue to follow due processes in passing people-oriented bills and resolutions, to bring the benefits of democracy to the nooks and crannies of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state has 17 of the 26 members of the assembly, while the Peoples Democratic Party has nine.