The House of Representatives in Nigeria on Thursday rescinded its decision to pass for second reading a constitutional amendment bill aimed at stripping the Vice President, Governors, and Deputy Governors of their immunity, as provided by Section 308 of the Nigerian Constitution.
The House also withdrew its decision on another bill seeking to amend the Constitution to revise penalties for certain capital offences. Both bills had initially passed second reading on Wednesday and were referred to the House Committee on Constitutional Review.
The bill proposing the removal of immunity, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Qualify the Immunity Conferred on the President, Remove the Immunity Conferred on the Vice President, the Governors and their Deputies in Order to Curb Corruption, Eradicate Impunity, and Enhance Accountability in Public Office,” is sponsored by Hon. Solomon Bob (PDP, Rivers).
Similarly, the bill on capital offence penalties, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Cap. C23 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Review the Penalties for Certain Capital Offences in Alignment with Relevant International Best Practices,” is sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu and six others.
Deputy Speaker Kalu, who presided over the plenary, explained that the House’s decision to reverse the bills’ progression was to allow for further debate due to the sensitive nature of the issues involved. He assured that both bills would be reintroduced for deliberation at a later date.
