A governorship aspirant and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Abia state, Ambassador Chidike Ukauwa has expressed worry on the alarming loot of public funds by those entrusted with power. He has suggested that the Nigerian senate should remove immunity clause from the constitution of the country to pave way for easy persecution of corrupt public office holders.
Ukauwa who made his feelings known in an interview with newsmen, shortly after delivering a lecture at a summit held in Umuahia on Thursday, explained that some elected public office-holders, hide under the immunity clause to secretly steal public funds, thereby living the masses to suffer.
He said that the removal of immunity clause from the constitution would also make the elected public office holders accountable to the people and ensure transparency in governance.
The governorship aspirant said, “I totally agree that immunity clause should be removed or expunged from the constitution. Because of the immunity which some elected public office holders are enjoying, especially the governors, they secretly loot public funds.
” Even if today I become Abia governor, I will continue to advocate that immunity clause be removed from the constitution. Some of them are looting public funds in a broad day light, feeling no one can touch them ,because they are covered by immunity.”
“Once the clause is removed from the constitution of Nigeria, the anti-corruption war of the federal government will be more effective. The clause if is removed, governors who steal public funds will be subjected to thorough investigation, if found to have misappropriated or looted public funds will be persecuted”.
” So, as far as I’m concerned, immunity encourages corruption. For us to achieve a corrupt-free country, the National Assembly should sit down and look into this immunity clause”,he said.
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