The House of Representatives has withdrawn its support for a bill that aimed to strip the vice president, governors, and deputy governors of their constitutional immunity.
The reversal came after House Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere raised a motion on the matter during Thursday’s session.
The bill, sponsored by Rivers State lawmaker Solomon Bob of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had initially advanced to the second reading on Wednesday.
Bob had argued that the proposal was designed to promote transparency by making top government officials accountable to the law.
According to Section 308 of the Nigerian Constitution, the president, vice president, governors, and their deputies cannot be subjected to legal proceedings, arrested, or imprisoned while in office. Bob maintained that removing these protections would help curb corruption and eliminate impunity.
Additionally, the House reversed its decision on another bill seeking to abolish the death penalty, which had also passed its second reading during Wednesday’s plenary.