THE House of Representatives has reversed its decision on a bill that sought to strip the vice president, governors, and deputy governors of immunity from prosecution.
The change followed a motion moved by the Majority Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, during the plenary session on Thursday, March 27.
The bill had passed its second reading on Wednesday but was revisited the next day.
The lawmakers also changed their decision to pass a bill to amend the Constitution to review the death penalty for certain categories of offences.
The Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary, said the House’s decision to pass the bills for second reading became necessary given the need to subject them to further debate.
Kalu said the bills would be returned to the House for debate by members, given the sensitive nature of the issues involved.
The ICIR reported that the House moved to strip the vice president, governors, and their deputies of immunity from prosecution, a privilege currently enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
A bill seeking to amend Section 308 of the constitution scaled second reading on Wednesday, March 26.
Under existing laws, the president, vice president, governors, and their deputies cannot be prosecuted while in office.
This wasn’t the first time the National Assembly would be moving to strip the vice president, governor, and their deputies of immunity.
In 2020, the Nigerian Senate approved a bill that would strip the officials of immunity if found guilty of misappropriation of government funds.
The bill was consequently referred to the Committee on Constitution Review for further legislative consideration.
The proposal, before it was rescinded, was part of a broader set of 42 constitutional amendment bills that were passed on Wednesday.
A reporter with the ICIR
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