Constitution Amendment: VP, Governors, Deputies May Lose Immunity

The House of Representatives has passed through second reading, a bill to qualify the immunity conferred on the president, remove the one for the vice president, the governors and their deputies.

Sponsored by Hon. Solomon Bob(PDP, Rivers), the proposed legislation seeks to curb corruption, eradicate impunity and enhance

accountability in public office and related matters.

The bill was amongst the 42 pieces of constitution alteration legislations that were read for second time at plenary on Wednesday and referred to the House Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution.

Also passed for second reading is a bill review death penalty law which seeks to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to review the penalties for certain capital offences in alignment with relevant international best practices.

The proposed alteration 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 bill intends to promote a balanced approach to justice by incorporating alternative sentencing options that emphasize rehabilitation and accountability.

Some of the major bills include, those to; specify the period

for the laying of annual budget estimates before the National and State Houses of Assembly; separate the offices of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Attorney-General of a State from the Offices of the Minister of Justice of the Federal Government and Commissioner for Justice of the Government of a State and mandate all government statutory corporations, commissions, authorities, agencies including all persons and bodies established by law to submit yearly financial statement to the Auditor General within a specified period.

Others are bills to create additional states; namely Oke-Ogun, Ijebu

Ife-Ijesa out of Ogun state; Tiga from the present Kano, Orlu and Etiti from southeast geopolitical zone; and new local government areas as well as substitute names of my existing ones.

The bills also include those to

decentralise the governance of natural resources to transfer mines  and minerals, including oil fields, oil mining, geological surveys and natural gas from the exclusive

legislative list to the concurrent legislative list; rename and transfer fingerprints, identification and criminal records in Part I – exclusive legislative list to Part II – concurrent legislative list and alter the concurrent legislative list of the second schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Insert a New Paragraph which provides for “Road Toll.”