House Of Representatives Committee Recommends Immunity For Principle Officers

The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Reviews has recommended an immunity clause for the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and heads of the judiciary.

This is part of the report on the constitution amendment Bill that was presented before the House by Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Ahmed Wase on Wednesday in Abuja.

In the reports presented by Wase, the committee recommended immunity for presiding officers of the legislature and judiciary.

The spokesperson for the House, Benjamin Kalu, while speaking to newsmen said since the executive is enjoying immunity, the legislative should also enjoy it, adding that they should be part of the Security Council so that they could be part of the decision making because they pass bills and move motions to that effect.

Representatives Segun Odebunmi (APC-Oyo) sponsored the Bill titled “An Act to alter section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 to extend immunity to cover presiding officers of the legislative institutions.”

The committee had earlier stepped down the bill during the meeting between the committee and consultants, even though some lawmakers in the committee spoke against the bill during the meeting.

Abdulhamid Mohammed SAN, who is one of the consultants working with the committee, opposed the immunity clause in the bill.

“It is unconventional all over the world for judicial officers and presiding officers to have immunity, this is self-serving from the angle of morality".

According to him, there could be a conflict of interest if the immunity is now extended to judicial officers and that you need to go to the judiciary to seek its leave to sue the officers concerned.

“You are now going to apply before the judicial officers because these are courts of competent jurisdiction.