June 18, 2016 Premium Times
Senators and speakers of some state Houses of Assembly on Saturday proposed immunity for presiding officers of the legislature.
The decision was taken at a two-day retreat on constitution review, organised by the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Constitution Review, with the theme, “Towards Ensuring Governance Accountability in Nigerian federalism.’’
If the proposal succeeds and is inserted in the constitution, the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who is being prosecuted for false and anticipatory assets declaration as well as alleged forgery, may enjoy some reprieve.
His deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, may also have the forgery case against him dropped.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 21 lawmakers voted in favour of the proposal while 15 voted against.
The lawmakers argued that presiding officers in the legislature ought to enjoy immunity since the executive and judiciary were enjoying it.
The Chairman Senate Committee on Works, Kabiru Gaya, said the essence of immunity was to guard some public office holders against any form of distraction while discharging their duties.
He said, “there are three tiers of government and only two arms enjoy immunity.
“See what is happening to the President of the Senate now. We are not saying the case in court should be stopped.
“But even yesterday we read in the papers that there is a fresh case of forgery of Senate Standing Rule against the presiding officers and some other persons and all is to destabilise us.’’
Also, the Leader of the Senate, Ali Ndume, who is being tried for allegedly aiding the Boko Haram sect, supported the proposal for immunity for all presiding officers in the three arms of government.
However, he argued that such immunity should be limited to civil offences committed by the officers.
According to him, “for criminal issues there should be no immunity but for civil offences there should be immunity. Whoever it is that is involved in a criminal matter should be prosecuted.’’
The Minority Leader of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, proposed that all National Assembly members and Houses of Assembly members should be given immunity.
He explained that elected officers, who were saddled with the responsibility of ensuring good governance should be allowed to carry out their functions without any form of interference.
“I propose that all principal officers of the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate, should enjoy immunity like the executive.
“So all parliamentarians who have criminal cases can be investigated but they should serve their punishment after office,’’ he said.
However, the Deputy Senate Leaders, Bala Ibn N’ Allah, argued that Nigerians might misconstrue the proposal for immunity for the legislature to mean that they were arrogating so much power to themselves.
He suggested total removal of immunity from all arms of government, adding: “Let us remove immunity from everyone and let there be balance.
“If you give immunity to everybody, a legislator may rape a lady and wait to finish his tenure before being prosecuted because he has immunity,’’ he said.
In a similar development, the lawmakers agreed on rotation of governorship positions among different ethnic groups in states.
They arrived at the consensus with 15 lawmakers voting in favour and seven against.
The lawmakers also proposed that independent candidates should be allowed to vie for political offices and voted against diaspora voting.
Section 308 of the Nigerian Constitution provides for immunity from prosecution for persons holding the offices of President , Vice-President, Governor or Deputy Governor.
The section reads, “(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Constitution, but subject to subsection (2) of this section –
“(a) no civil or criminal proceedings shall be instituted or continued against a person to whom this section applies during his period of office;
“(b) a person to whom this section applies shall not be arrested or imprisoned during that period either in pursuance of the process of any court or otherwise; and
(c) no process of any court requiring or compelling the appearance of a person to whom this section applies, shall be applied for or issued:
“Provided that in ascertaining whether any period of limitation has expired for the purposes of any proceedings against a person to whom this section applies, no account shall be taken of his period of office.
“(2) The provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to civil proceedings against a person to whom this section applies in his official capacity or to civil or criminal proceedings in which such a person is only a nominal party.
“(3) This section applies to a person holding the office of President or Vice-President, Governor or Deputy Governor; and the reference in this section to “period of office” is a reference to the period during which the person holding such office is required to perform the functions of the office.”
(NAN)

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/205506-nigeria-lawmakers-propose-immunity-prosecution-saraki-others.html

So, the retreat jamboree at the tax payers expense was about shielding and protecting these crooked and corrupt clowns...


Only in Nigeria...

no be only immunity na immunization this is totally fraud and we Nigerians say no to dis fake law the huz is trying to pass. Like if you say no and share if u say yes

Manipulating the constitution of the country to suit their insincerity.

"Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us." Isaiah 8:10

All the anti-people plans of the NASS shall fail.
Every plan to change the law to suit their corrupt self will be fraustrated. In Jesus name amen

Instead of making new laws that can make it possible for me to drag the governors and local government chairmen to court for deriliction of duties, they are looking for how to get lifetime pension and immunity from prosecution.

No be immunity, na immunisation against jaundice.

ribe ekene, ribe otito, fada fada eee! fada fada eee! adikwa m loyal fada fada eee! ee ee.
.

...

just singing fada by phyno ft olamide

2undeee:
no be only immunity na immunization this is totally fraud and we Nigerians say no to dis fake law the huz is trying to pass. Like if you say no and share if u say yes

You beat me to it.

There they go again! Useless lawbreakers... Of all the problems the country is facing now, it is the "immunity" that will shield them from being prosecuted for their looting that matters to them most. Shameless set of people.

On the other thread, they want a lifetime pension.... Seriously there is no hope for Nigeria. I'm sorry.

We wi not take it

Negodu what these adults are saying.... Only the guilty are afraid...


Season of #life imprisonment and immunization.

Saraki is fast proving that his hands are never clean after all. How can a criminal be this desperate in power?

This is why Nigeria is branded a ZOO! A real animal kingdom, just imagine this crap

2undeee:
no be only immunity na immunization this is totally fraud and we Nigerians say no to dis fake law the huz is trying to pass. Like if you say no and share if u say yes

how will you say no. No vote till 2019

Smh

Without immunity we already have a legislature that potrays everything bad about Nigeria.
Immunity from prosecution for these fellows haba we need true revolution in this country.

Immu.... wetin? I'm really getting sick of these senate under the leadership of saraki

These were the same bonobo monkeys saying yesterday that the power of the president to assent to bills before they become laws should be watered. The reason behind that isn't so difficult even for the least politically savvy of us to deduce- they want a system where they wield such powers they could actually apportion our private lives to themselves.

Tell me what exactly is wrong with these people. Haven't they insulted us so much already with the cars they bought themselves under the prevailing austerity period??

Frankly, as far as I know, the only Senate president we've had since '99 that is worth that title is Ken Nnamani. The rest of them are just opportunistic vagabonds- imagine suggesting a life pension and immunity for Saraki...


My suggestion is, when such a bill reaches the president's table, he should find the filthiest dumpster in the Villa and dump the damn thing there- right where it belongs.

These guys haven't any souls honestly.

[s]

omenka:
These were the same bonobo monkeys saying yesterday that the power of the president to accent to bills before they become laws should be watered. The reason behind that isn't so difficult even for the least politically savvy of us to deduce- they want a system where they wield such powers they could actually apportion our private lives to themselves.

Tell me what exactly is wrong with these people. Haven't they insulted us so much already with the cars they bought themselves under the prevailing austerity period??

Frankly, as far as I know, the only Senate president we've had since '99 that is worth that title is Ken Nnamani. The rest of them are just opportunistic vagabonds- imagine suggesting a life pension and immunity for Saraki...


My suggestion is, when such a bill reaches the president's table, he should find the filthiest dumpster in the Villa and dump the damn thing there- right where it belongs.

These guys haven't any souls honestly.

[/s]

NONSENSE!

IVORY2009:
[s][/s]

NONSENSE!

What's nonsense about it? If you have an opinion on the matter, why not go ahead and air it? The guy gave his opinion, he's entitled to it. Nawaoo

Immunity from prosecution should be banned forever. Too often there is numerous examples of corrupt Nigerian politicians relying on immunities to avoid prosecution and legal proceedings.

delivite:


What's nonsense about it? If you have an opinion on the matter, why not go ahead and air it? The guy gave his opinion, he's entitled to it. Nawaoo

He is always having erectio. Whenever Saraki issue makes d news, dat is the reason, I wrote dat....

we should as a matter of urgency protest against it oooo.saraki seat should be declared vacant .

IVORY2009:


He is always having erection. Whenever Saraki issue makes d news, dat is the reason, I wrote dat....

Well, i get you but it's a free country. People should not be insulted for speaking their minds. Only by reasonable dialog can we arrive at a helpful impasse. I hope you understand.

delivite:


Well, i get you but it's a free country. People should not be insulted for speaking their minds. Only by reasonable dialog can we arrive at a helpful impasse. I hope you understand.

Yes you might be write to some extent, but the truth of the matter is dat, when a person becomes "addicted" about someone unnecessarily, it become unbearable to even dialog, and it makes all comments frm such persons to be stupid b4 the people reading, even if it sometimes makes sense.

.