The minority leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that if the removal of immunity clause from the Constitution as approved by lawmakers is passed into law, governance might grind to a halt.
The lawmaker was speaking on Channels television’s flagship breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily.
Notwithstanding the fact that the removal of the immunity clause was done in good faith and demanded by constituents across the nation, the lawmaker said it was not the way to go because the inevitable court cases will be distractive to elected officials, thus serving as a detriment to governance.
He didn’t leave without a suggestion. For him, laws such as the Act setting up the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission should be amended to make the commission independent and empowered to investigate sitting elected President or governors.
The lawmaker who evidently did not vote for the removal, used the ongoing political crises in Rivers as a test case, stating that “if there was no immunity clause, the Governor of Rivers will today be in court, if for nothing; framed up charges.”
He noted that the immunity clause was not in pre-amendment times an ‘absolute law’, as Governors and President could still be investigated while in office. “The immunity clause not being absolute, should have remained and accountability (that is the trial of Governors and President) will then start after their term of office,” he said.
For Gbajabiamila, the immunity clause is found in most advanced democracies and for good reason too. Hence, it should have being retained in the Constitution with a focus on how to get elected officials to be more accountable.
When asked if the House could reverse its disapproval of the measure, Gbajabiamila said that “yes it is possible for the House to reverse itself.”
[Photo H/T: YNaija]