Nigerians reject immunity bill for Senate president, speakers
- Rejections have started to trail the House of Representatives' proposal to grant immunity to National Assembly presiding officers
- Several Nigerians have rejected the bill that has scaled the second reading on the floor of the lower chamber
- According to an elder statesman, the lawmakers would most likely misuse the immunity
Nigerians have reacted to the proposal of an amendment in the 1999 constitution that grants presiding officers of the National Assembly and States' Houses of Assembly immunity.
Several Nigerians who are against the bill spoke with Daily Trust as they expressed their thoughts on the matter. The bill which scaled the second reading on the floor of the House of Representatives was described as a move in a very bad taste.
Chief Chekwas Okorie, an elder statesman in a telephone interview with the newspaper on Tuesday, February 25, said that there is a high probability lawmakers would misuse the immunity given to them.
He said: “It is a move in a very bad taste and it will be unfortunate if the National Assembly will take undue advantage of the fact that they are the lawmakers to do to themselves what Nigerians would not want, because there is no need for that.”
Source: Depositphotos
Dr. Yunusa Tanko, former national chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), in reaction to the bill said that the move was completely wrong.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in a tweet posted on its official page kicked against the bill.
A professor of public administration, from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Adam Anyebe also faulted the bill. He said: "They are compounding Nigeria’s problem because the perception about National Assembly is very negative. At a point, they were rated very high in terms of corruption profile."
Speaking against the bill, Auwalu Yadudu, a professor of law, said the bill would not pass going by the passion of the public against it. He noted that the bill was unjustifiable and there was no reason for it.
Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN), a professor of law, said the bill was not appropriate. He said: "It is a fraud on the people of Nigeria. At this moment, we are supposed to be getting away from the whole idea of immunity and not enlarging the immunity for any category of public officer.”
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Legit.ng previously reported that a bill seeking to grant immunity to the presiding officers of the National Assembly and states’ Houses of Assembly was on Tuesday, February 26, endorsed by members of the House of Representatives.
The amendment of the 1999 Constitution would provide immunity for the Senate president, deputy Senate president, speaker of the House of Representatives as well as the deputy speaker.
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