Falana: Governors can be arrested, the era of absolute immunity gone
Femi Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says any president or governor who commits criminal act could be arrested while in office.
He said the supreme court had ruled out absolute immunity, therefore governors involved in criminal charges, including the leadership of the national assembly, must face the law.
Falana said this in Benin on Saturday while speaking on: ‘Limit of executive immunity’ at a ceremony to mark the 60th birthday of Julius Ihonvebere, secretary to the state government (SSG) of Edo.
Faulting the invitation extended to Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, by the leadership of the senate, Falana urged Senate President Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, his deputy, to face the forgery charges against them.
He accused the senate of politicising the issue, saying: “they have no immunity to dodge the charges against them.
“The senate is now politicising the issue, saying it is political victimisation but not that the offence was not committed.
“As leaders of the national assembly, you are supposed to be above board and that is even the more reason you must be careful.”
The lawyer said Malami is not answerable to the senate, insisting that: “Any issue that is criminal in nature must be treated as such.
“The attorney-general of the federation is only answerable to his boss, who is the president and nobody else.
“The same thing applies to the states, so there is no longer absolute immunity in this country.
“And that is why what is happening in Ekiti today about money found in a bank and the governor is saying it is illegal to freeze his account, that is not true.”
Just extent the same to your client by letting him simply show his WAEC certificate as required by the constitution, instead of hiring you and 12 other SANS to defend him as well as threatening the prosecutors that resulted in truncating the case.
Does anybody deserve to be more above board than your client Mr. Integrity himself and you?
Nobody should be above the law, if thoroughly we ar
Your comment..Sir are you talking from the Nigerian constitution or the newly amended.
Jaundiced prejudicial pseudo activist, clay footed SAN, which case has the supreme watered the immunity for those who constitutionally authorised? For hatred on his excellency Ayo you are having verbal diaorrhea. You will never smell Ekiti government house
Which sane country has immunity for its leaders; is that not license to loot; hence what we seeing with our presidents & gorvernors, to the extent the senators also want immunity