Prominent human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, on Saturday, urged the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, to face their criminal trials and stop politicizing it.

Falana stated this while delivering a lecture on the topic, “Limits of Executive Immunity,” at the 60th birthday of the Secretary to the Edo State Government, Prof.  Julius Ihonvbere, in Benin, the Edo State.

The lawyer noted that according to the Nigerian constitution only the President, Vice President, governors and their deputies, can enjoy the benefits of immunity and that lawmakers do not have immunity.

Falana stated, “The senate is now politicising the issue, saying it is political victimisation but not that the offence was not committed. As leaders of the National Assembly, you are supposed to be above board and that is even the more reason you must be careful.”

He said that the leadership of the senate is mandated by law to report any allegation of forgery to the Attorney General of the Federation, which the Senate failed to do.

“I want to remind the senate that the Attorney General of the Federation is only answerable to his boss, who is the President, and nobody else. The same thing applies to the states. So, there is no longer absolute immunity in this country and that is what is happening in Ekiti State today, about money found in a bank, and the governor is saying it is illegal to freeze his account. That is not true; any issue that is criminal in nature must be treated as such.”

The state governor, Adams Oshiomhole; the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru, who was the chairman of the occasion; Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mrs. Elizabeth Ativie, and other top government officials were present at the event.

Mazi Emeka