Scrap immunity for governors to expedite dev’t –LP factional Nat’l Chairman
The factional National Chairman of Labour Party, Alhaji Lamidi Apapa, has urged the National Assembly to scrap the immunity clause for governors in the ongoing constitutional amendment processes.
Apapa made this appeal on Tuesday in Lagos, while reacting on issues being considered for amendments before the National Assembly.
“If I had my way, I will ask them (National Assembly) to scrap the immunity clause from the Nigeria’s Constitution in the ongoing reform constitutional amendment processes.
“It is encouraging corruption. I think we should be equal before the law in a democracy.
“When you allow a Nigerian or somebody to be special and be above the law for eight years and after the eighth year, he or she moves to the National Assembly assembly, such person will continue to escape punishment for wrong actions.
“To me, that aspect should be removed, we don’t need it. It makes some governors to keep stealing public funds and go away with it without any consequence,” Apapa said.
According to him, anywhere justice is delayed or consequences for actions is prolonged, impunity will be rampant as being witnessed in the country.
He added:”It they know there is no immunity, everybody will behave well even while in corridor of power.
“It is only in Nigeria you see people stealing billions of Naira and be walking freely on the streets and someone just stealing ordinary phone of N10,000 being lynched.”
Speaking on state police being considered in the NASS, Apapa said that Nigerian security situation was enough to convince anyone that the country was ripe for the creation of state police.
“I think we need it (state police) now. I have said this several times.
“About 20 years ago, as the Chairman of Labour Party in Oyo State, I led the team of some people to our House of Assembly in Oyo State, where I said we need a state police.
“Even if people believe that the state governors will still abuse it, but the truth is that as of today the federal police is still being abused by some people.
“All we also need to do is to put some clauses its organisation and operation to limit the potential abused,” he said.
According to him, the citizens need general protection now, not individual protection.
“State police will cover every part of the state,” he said.
He said apart from the fact that the federal police did not have the numerical capacity to police the entire country,a huge number of the personnel had been attached to politicians.
“We are saying we need it (state police) now, especially at a time that we are facing issues of banditry, kidnapping everywhere across the country. ”
NAN reports that the 10th National Assembly has begun the process of amendment of the 1999 Constitution.
The Senate had, in February , constituted a 45-member Constitution Review Committee,headed by the Deputy Senate President , Sen.Jibrin Barau.
Senate President, Sen.Godwill Akpabio,while inaugurating members of the committee in Abuja, said the review of the constitution had become imperative “in order to put certain things right”
Also, the House of Representatives has inaugurated its constitutional review committee for the amendment of the 1999 Nigerian constitution as amended.
The Speaker, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, while inaugurating the committee, said that the step marked another significant moment in the democratic journey towards a more ‘perfect union’.
He said that it was expected that the sixth alteration under the tenth National Assembly would be the most comprehensive.
One of the areas listed for possible consideration in the amendment is creation state police, immunity for governors among others.
