The Executive Alone Can’t Enjoy Immunity – Saraki

Lagos – Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Wednesday said Nigerians are misinterpreting what the members of the National Assembly said with regards to immunity at the just concluded retreat on the amendment of the 1999 constitution in Lagos last week.

Speaking in a chat with Independent, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Senate President said contrary to the impression being given that the National Assembly is demanding immunity for its members, the lawmakers are only canvassing immunity for the heads of the three arms of government- executive, legislative and judiciary.

He said since the three arms of government are independent, the lawmakers are of the opinion that the executive alone cannot be enjoying immunity, while the two others are deprived of such.

According to him “it is either immunity is given to the three arms of government or withdrawn from all”.

“ On the issue of immunity, what they discussed at the retreat is that the senators said it is either you give immunity to all three arms of government or immunity to none.

That is, there are three arms of government; the executive, legislative and the judiciary”.

“One cannot be enjoying immunity, while the others can’t benefit from same. The immunity is not for the Senate president alone, it will also be given to the Chief Justice of Nigeria who is the head of the judiciary arm of government”.

“So, the senators said it is either you give all the heads of the three arms or you remove it from the executive arm so that nobody will have it” he said.

Source:- Independentnig