Senators push for immunity, life pension for Dogara, Saraki, others

Presiding officers of both chambers in the National Assembly should enjoy immunity and life pension, some Senators have demanded.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the lawmakers stated this at the two day retreat on Constitution Review organised by the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Constitution Review in Lagos

The retreat was entitled ‘Towards Ensuring Governance Accountability in Nigerian federalism.’

The Senators argued that since the executive enjoy such privileges, the legislatures should.

The officers who should be granted this are the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives.

Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy senate president and also chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of 1999 Constitution, threw his weight behind the call for a life pension for presiding officers.

“This has nothing to do with an individual. It is about the institution. Let us not politicise it. Nobody elected the Chief Justice of Nigeria but he enjoys pension. But if we cheapen our own institution, so be it. Let us not make this a personal thing.”

Toeing the same line, former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Oduah (PDP-Anambra), said, “The executive enjoy it. Let us stand by our leaders. They should enjoy this benefit. They act on behalf of us. They are equal to the executive and judiciary and should therefore enjoy the same benefit.”

Making his argument, Sen. Ahmed Yerima (APC-Zamfara) said, “Governors, who spend just four years enjoy it, so presiding officers should enjoy it too.”

But the Majority Leader of the Senate, Ali Ndume, made a different arguement on the proposal.

“But we elect our principal officers, to me, I believe that the benefits of the Office of the Senate President and other principal officers are too much. They are just one among equals.”

“I am against any excessive privileges given to the senate president or the speaker. All of us were elected. If we are doing anything, it should be for all members of the National Assembly.”

Former Akwa Ibom Governor and House Minority leader, Godswill Akpabio opposed Ndume’s suggestion, saying that, “The governor of a state and the president cannot stay in office for more than two terms. But a senator can stay in office for 35 years.”

Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos Central) however, argued against the bill.

“Principal Officers drive fleet of cars and they have other entitlements. They should not earn extra money when they leave office.”

“In the last (8th) assembly, we in the minority tried to raise our voice against it. You are first, second and third among equals. Some of us do not even have cars but principal officers have so many. I think we should drop that idea.”

Arguing on the need for immunity, 21 lawmakers were said to have voted for presiding officers to be granted immunity while 12 voted against it.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Kabiru Gaya, said, “There are three tiers of government and only two arms enjoy immunity. See what is happening to the President of the Senate now (Bukola Saraki, who is standing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged false declaration of assets).”

“We are not saying the case in court should be stopped. But even yesterday, we read in the papers that there is a fresh case of forgery of Senate Standing Rule against the presiding officers and some other persons and all is to destabilise us.”

The Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn N’Allah, called for the removal of all forms of immunity.

“Let us remove immunity from everyone and let there be balance. If you give immunity to everybody, a legislator may rape a lady and wait to finish his tenure before being prosecuted because he has immunity.”

The Senators voted against Diaspora voting as they also voted for the rotation of governorship positions among the different ethnic group in a state.

The operation of joint account by the state and local governments was voted against by the Senators, thus granting financial autonomy to local government.

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