Face-off In House of Reps Over Immunity for Senate President, Speaker

The House of Representatives was in rowdy session Tuesday over the planned inclusion of the Senate President and Speaker to enjoy immunity.

The Minority Leader of the House, Leo Ogor had in the bill canvassed for the inclusion of the presiding officers of the two chambers of the National Assembly which will also include the deputy senate president and the deputy speaker in the immunity.

He called for the amendment of Section 308 of the Constitution which only gives immunity to the President, Vice, President, Governors and their deputies to also include the presiding officers of the National Assembly.

But the Majority Leader opposed the idea saying that there was no any democracy in the world that heads of the legislature enjoy immunity, adding that even if it would work, the timing was wrong especially now that the Senate President Bukola Saraki was facing trials.

The House went rowdy when the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara abruptly ended debate on the matter, as he referred it to the Special Ad-hoc Committee on Constitutional amendment headed by the Deputy Speaker,Yussuff Lasun.