Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has condemned the bill seeking immunity for lawmakers, describing it as gross irresponsibility.
The CNPP said the bill for that purpose which scaled second reading on Thursday at the House of Representatives was a final move to legalize corruption and kill the country.
A statement by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu on Friday and made available to DailyPost, noted that pushing ahead with the bill marks the height of insensitivity and sheer disrespect for constituents at a time when the preponderance of opinion among Nigerians is for the immunity clause to be removed from the executive arm because of the overwhelming corruption in the country.
The statement said it was worrisome that the legislative arm, which the people see as the last bastion in governance was now seeking to get the same criminal protection that the executive has secured under the constitutional immunity clause.
It said “It is shameful for one to begin to have the inkling that the scandals around Lawan Farouk and Herman Hembe with many others that are yet to go public could be the impetus for this criminal legislation”.
They noted that “Instead of making legislation by granting immunity to lawmakers, who already have parliamentary immunity , members of the House of Representatives should have intensified efforts to use the ongoing amendment of the Constitution to do away with immunity clause that selfishly protects the president and governors and to at least open them up for criminal prosecution, with regards to corruption.
“Nigerians are already wary of the official fraud that surrounds how much each lawmaker legitimately earns. What happens to the constituency allowances voted for lawmakers and other money they allegedly corner from performing their oversight functions?
“This latest effort at shielding lawmakers from being held accountable as representatives of the people will only worsen the distrust in which Nigerians hold this class of politicians”, the statement further asserted.
The group warned that the move by the House of Representatives has all the potentials to worsen an already terrible situation, noting that it was now up to Nigerians whom the CNPP would mobilize to the National Assembly “until lawmakers see reason and desist from the destructive path they have chosen”.
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