Ex-Army Chief, Ibrahim, cautions against removal of immunity clause
From John Abba Ogbodo, Abuja
AGAINST the backdrop of calls for removal of the immunity clause in the 1999 Constitution, a former Chief of Army Staff and member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), General Ibrahim Salihu has warned that removal of the clause would create anarchy within the polity.
Salihu who spoke in Abuja at the weekend maintained that the action would expose the Presidency to abuse by some overzealous Nigerians. Salihu said this just as members of the House of Representatives from Plateau State condemned what they described as a threat to the immunity of the state Governor, Joshua Dariye.
The former army chief said almost every country in the world shields the executive from unnecessary distraction through the immunity clause.
He added: "I think it will be a great error for our country to tamper with the immunity clause as contained in the Federal Constitution should any attempt be made to change that, then we would be creating chaos. We probably won't have a steady government in this country.
"We had a very brief experience during the Murtala regime, if I may recall, when in his usual magnanimous way of doing things said well, he could be taken to court if anybody felt bad and of course, within a short time, he was taken to court by some one and I think that experience has informed the decision to retain that clause," Salihu said.
He alluded to the case in Plateau where the immunity of the governor is being undermined with his arraignment in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), pointing out that it would be difficult for a government bogged by such problem to perform.
Meanwhile, members of the House of Representatives from Plateau State have condemned the arraignment of Dariye by the EFCC saying the governor's immunity has been threatened. The members led by John Loughor also said the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Akin Olujumi (SAN), lied by saying that the charges of financial crimes against Dariye were initiated by the metropolitan police.
Speaking on Dariye's immunity, they said an Abuja High Court had already ruled on the matter.
"There is a crisis in the judiciary. An Abuja High Court has ruled that the governor has immunity and here is another court assuming the responsibility to try the governor," they said.
They, therefore, said they would petition the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammed Uwais, on the matter. They called on the AGF to resign because he had fed the nation with a wrong information on Dariye issue. Loughor said a motion on the recent withdrawal of Dariye's police aides would be moved on the floor of the House this week.
