By Kolawole Ojebisi
A former Ogun State Governor and current Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has weighed in on the ongoing national conversation about reforming constitutional provisions to strengthen transparency and accountability across all levels of government.
This is as the lawmaker advocated a constitutional amendment that would restrict immunity from prosecution strictly to the offices of the President and Vice-President.
While the current provision in Section 308 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution shields the President, Vice-President, Governors, and Deputy Governors from prosecution while in office, Daniel argued that this broad immunity has been misused, particularly at the state level.
The former Ogun helmsman spoke during an appearance on on Political Paradigm, a Channels Television programme aired on Tuesday.
Daniel reflected on the recent reversal by the House of Representatives on a bill aimed at withdrawing immunity from vice-presidents, governors, and their deputies.
He said, “Immunity has the good sides, but to a large extent, I think, some of our elected governors appear to have abused it, in terms of some of the things they do.
“Some of them virtually have turned the state into their personal fiefdom, and they think the property of the state belongs to them, and they can do it whichever way they want, without even recourse to the House of Assembly.”
He stressed that in order to protect the sanctity and stability of the country’s top leadership, full immunity should apply only to the President and Vice-President.
“I think that only the president and the vice-president should be allowed to have absolute immunity so that they can concentrate, and so that no one will be embarrassing the symbol of the country,” he added.
However, the senator emphasised the need for a more refined approach to the immunity of governors and their deputies, suggesting that it should not be a blanket shield against all forms of accountability.
“The governors and their deputies should have their immunity clarified. Probably, yes, they have immunity from what you call criminal prosecution, but there are other things that are not criminal.
“There is no reason why they should not be held accountable while in office”, Daniel concluded.
