The lawmakers described it as a waste of resources for the executive arm of government to think in that direction in an austere period.
It was gathered that the Speaker of the House, Uche Okafor, who was the first to be offered the SUV, rejected it, saying he would not drive it until a collective decision of the House was reached and obtained on the matter.
Some of the lawmakers, who spoke to journalists, said it would cost the state about N1bn to procure the vehicles for the 30 members of the House.
One of the lawmakers said, “We are complaining of delay in the provision of our statutory allowances and other entitlements by the state government and somebody is contemplating the purchase of Toyota Prado to the tune of almost N1bn.
“This is an unnecessary waste of funds when a similar vehicle produced by INNOSON Motors Limited would cost less. Other governors of the South-East and South-South have been patronising the local car manufacturing company and our governor, Willie Obiano, is not keen on patronising the company.”
The Chairman, South-East Conference of 2019 APC House of Assembly candidates, Afam Ezenwafor, who spoke to journalists on behalf of the lawmakers, said there were implications for the All Progressives Grand Alliance lawmakers, who he said were in the vanguard of encouraging locally-made goods so that they did not become victims of a witch-hunt by “the powers that be in Awka.”
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Politics