Senate Stops State, FCT High Courts From Hearing Pre-Election Cases

The Senate, yesterday, introduced a bill to amend the 1999 Constitution to the effect that State High Court’s would no longer be entertaining pre-election cases.
The bill, which was sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege said, “pre-election disputes emanating from congresses, primaries, conferences, conventions or other meetings” should no longer be the business of the State High Courts.
More so, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory which has coordinate jurisdiction with State High Courts was also affected in the bill.
Both bills to alter the affected provisions in the Constitution passed second reading on the floor of the Senate.
There were referred to the Ad-hoc Senate Committee on Constitutional Review for a detailed consideration at the public hearings.
The Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan urged the committee to expedite action, saying that there was a need to tidy the judicial system in the handling of election issues.
Similarly, a bill for an act to immune lawmakers from prosecution on words spoken during legislative proceedings passed second reading in the Senate, yesterday.
The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Bamidele Opeyemi, representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, will constitutionalize immunity of lawmakers instead of the provision of Ethics and Privileges Act.
It was “A bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide immunity for members of the Legislature in respect of words spoken or written during plenary sessions or committee proceedings and institutionalize legislative bureaucracy in Constitution and other related matters bill.”
The President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan referred the bill to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Constitutional Review.
The committee is expected to report back to the Committee of the Whole House in four weeks after a public hearing.