The proposal came against the backdrop of the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, over alleged forgery at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
It was gathered that the proposal which came in form of a Bill for an Act to alter section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and for other related matters was sponsored by the House Minority Leader, Leo Okuweh Ogor. The bill specifically seeks to amend section 308, sub-section 3 to include the Senate president, speaker and the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives as well as speaker and the deputy speaker of a state House of Assembly who are presiding officers of the legislative arm of government at federal and state levels. Those who spoke in support of the bill, including Ossai Nicholas Ossai (Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, Ukwuani: PDP; Delta).
But the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, faulted the initiative on the basis that it was coming at a wrong time. He said it would send wrong signals to the electorate who might assume that the Bill was out to constitute a clog in the wheel of the on-going fight against corrupt practices in the polity.
He argued: “We are here to legislate, we are here to represent our people. If we pass this bill, will the people support it? I don’t know of any country where the legislature is shielded from prosecution. Let’s make laws that will endure. Let’s not make laws based on situations that arise.”Aliyu Madaki who spoke in support of Gbajabiamila suggested that the bill be thrown out.
The Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, stirred up the hornet’s nest when he attempted to refer the Bill to the Adhoc committee on the review of the constitution as against adhering to the conventional practice of subjecting it to voice vote, which would have enabled the lawmakers to decide the fate of the proposed amendment. Protagonists of the bill openly canvassed support for the speaker’s action while its antagonists expressed preference for the voice vote.
The sBill enjoyed the support of members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) not predisposed to the on-going trial of the Senate presiding officers.
The situation held up proceedings for about 30 minutes before Dogara could restore orderliness, and then adhered to the counsel of the Vice Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Bode Ayorinde, who argued that it was appropriate to refer the bill to the Adhoc committee on the review of the constitution without necessarily going through the procedure of a voice vote.
