Immunity Divides APC, PDP Kicks

Ndudi Elumelu, the Minority Leader of the House of Representative, somehow spoke the minds of Nigerians, when, during plenary on Tuesday by the lawmakers, kicked against a bill seeking immunity for principal officers of the National Assembly.

The bill, sponsored by a lawmaker from Oyo state, Olusegun Odebunmi an All Progressives Congress, APC lawmaker, If finally passed, will outlaw criminal prosecution against the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

The President, Vice President, governors and their deputies are the only government officials that enjoy immunity.

This is the second time the lawmakers have tried to pass the bill in life of President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Leo Ogor, former Minority leader of the House sponsored a similar bill during the 7th National Assembly, which was later abandoned after condemnation by most Nigerians.

It’s most likely that the bill will suffer same fate due to the public outcry that has greeted it, analysts say.

Some analysts told the magazine that President Buhari is not even likely to sign the bill, if passed by the assembly, because of his belief that it’s against the APC manifesto.

Apart from the PDP lawmakers, members of the civil society have also rejected the bill.

The bill seeking to make “An Act to Alter Section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Extend Immunity to Cover Presiding Officers of Legislative Institutions,’ has already passed second reading at the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

The leadership of the assembly appears not ready to abandon the bill on the argument that it will protect its leaders from unnecessary distraction resulting from criminal prosecution.

If the President, Vice President, state governors and their deputies enjoy immunity, same should be extended to national assembly leaders, the lawmakers say.

“In my view, I think it is in order and I feel it is not for any parochial interest. And it also not for pecuniary gains as I also feel that whatever reason the drafters of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria thought, it was necessary to provide this kind of position in the constitution for the Chief Executive at the centre, President and Vice President as the case may be.”

“I also feel it is reasonable when we provide this kind of legislative bulletproof for our Chief Presiding Officers of the National Assembly and by extension all the State houses of assembly,” Ado Doguwa, the Majority Leader of House of Representatives said this morning on a national television.

But many Nigerians will not have any of this particularly civil society groups.

According to Jaye Gaskia, Executive Director, Praxis Centre and Convener, Take Back Nigeria Movement (TBNM), the lawmakers are supposed to be thinking of stripping the President and others of immunity rather than joining the train of immunity seekers.

He said the move is self serving.

“In reality the amendment that is needed is the one that removes immunity for state chief executives, and not one that draws the leadership of the legislature under the cover of this banner of darkness,” Gaskia said.

The Convener, Good Governance Team (GGT), Tunde Salman said the lawmakers are seeking immunity for presiding officers because they are afraid of their shadows.

Salman said, “After all, the immediate Senate, President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, was prosecuted by EFCC as a sitting presiding officer of an arm of the National Assembly? I will therefore strongly kick against any law protecting anyone from being investigated and prosecuted.”

Also, the Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, said the lawmakers have failed in their duties.

“It is saddening that Nigeria has degenerated to this level of irresponsible law-making,” he said.

Meanwhile, the magazine learnt that the division among PDP and APC lawmakers in the assembly is a major roadblock to passage of the immunity bill at this time.