The National Assembly is set to begin the process of constitution amendment towards ensuring immunity for heads of the three arms of government. To also benefit from the immunity, when the constitution is amended, are the Deputy Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, his deputy and the Chief Justice of the Federation, CJN. The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, was recently docked by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, over the alleged falsification in his asset declaration over 10 years ago.
The trial of the Senate President has attracted criticism, even as some have alleged that his trial was a political witch-hunt, following his alleged stubbornness in contesting for the position of the Senate presidency, contrary to party decision. Worried by what have been described as constant external influence and manipulations in the choice of presiding officers of the National Assembly, the lawmakers are set to begin the process of amending the 1999 Constitution to include the Senate President and his deputy, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and his deputy as well as the Chief Justice of the Federation in the immunity.
This hint was dropped by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Leo Ogor, who exclusively told Vanguard that if the head of the executive arm, the President, and his vice should enjoy immunity, the heads of the other two arms of government, the legislature and the judiciary, should also benefit from the immunity. This, Ogor reasoned, would reduce distractions and crisis in the National Assembly as well as put a stop to the frequent change of the presiding officers as a result of external influence.