The House of Representatives has rescinded the passage through second reading of a bill to qualify the immunity conferred on the president, remove the one for the vice president, the governors and their deputies.
The House also reversed the second reading of a bill to review death penalty law to ensure penalties for certain capital offences align with relevant international best practices.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion moved by the House leader, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere at resumed plenary on Thursday.
The two constitutional amendment bills had passed second reading on Wednesday.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary session informed that the decision to rescind second reading of the bills is to enable lawmakers robustly debate the proposed legislations
“We want to apologise to the sponsors of the bills, but this action is to enable the House to have a further debate considering the importance of the subject matters,” Kalu said.
Sponsored by Hon. Solomon Bob(PDP, Rivers), the immunity bill seeks to curb corruption, eradicate impunity and enhance accountability in public office and related matters.
The bill states that: “Section 308 of the principal Act is amended by:(a) substituting a new subsection (3) as follows: “(3) This section applies to a person holding the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Vice President only when acting as President in line with Section 145 of this Constitution.”(b) creating sub section (4) thereto as follows:“(4)
The foregoing provisions of this section shall be inapplicable where the person to whom this section applies is acting in an unofficial capacity or where the conduct of the person is beyond the powers of his office or the conduct is criminal in nature”.
Sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and other many lawmakers, the death penalty review bill aims to ensure that Nigeria’s criminal justice system reflects global standards of fairness, proportionality, and respect for human rights, while maintaining public safety and addressing serious crimes effectively.
The proposed legislation intends to promote a balanced approach to justice by incorporating alternative sentencing options that emphasize rehabilitation and accountability.
