Senate Vows To Tackle AGF …As Reps Bicker Over Immunity

More troubles may be in the offing for the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, as the Senate, yesterday, resolved to tackle him for his refusal to honour the invitation extended to him to explain the rationale behind the prosecution of principal officers of the Senate at the FCT High Court, Abuja, over allegations of forgery of the 2015 Senate Standing Rules.
The development follows the report of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters headed by Senator David Umaru (APC), Niger North Senatorial District.
Umaru, who moved a motion through Order 43 of 2015 Standing Rules, submitted that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had turned down the invitation on two consecutive times.
“Mr President, distinguished colleagues, I want the Senate to consider the Report of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters on the imminent threat to Nigerian democracy,” he said.
Umaru explained that on the 21st June, 2016, the chamber resolved that the AGF be mandated to explain the cause behind his decision to prosecute Bukola Saraki and three others for allegedly forging Senate Standing Rules, which made the committee to invite him on 23rd June, 2016, but he wrote asking for extension, but did not honour the meeting of 30th June, 2016, a situation he said, was undermining Nigerian democracy.
He lamented that the AGF sent an Aide, Mr. Obono Obla, whom he said was walked out.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives was in rowdy session, yesterday, 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 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 Constitution Amendment headed by the Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun.