A bill for an act to immune lawmakers from prosecution on words spoken during legislative proceedings passed second reading in the Senate, Wednesday.
The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Bamidele Opeyemi representing Ekiti Central senatorial district, will constitutionalise immunity of lawmakers instead of the provision of ethnics 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.”
President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Ibrahim 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.