Political office holders don’t deserve immunity for criminal offences – Senator Yusuf

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Political office holders don’t deserve immunity for criminal offences – Senator Yusuf

Senator Yusuf Yusuf (APC-Taraba) has called for the removal of the aspect of immunity clause pertaining to criminal offences committed by political office holders.
Yusuf, who is the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, made the call at the News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja on Thursday.

The senator made the call following the move in the House of Representatives to accord immunity to principal officers of the National Assembly.


According to Yusuf, the immunity clause should set aside the section dealing with specific crimes.

He said: “Why should there even be immunity in the first place? “For me, there should not be immunity for criminal offences.

“There should be immunity on civil matters. But on crime, why should there be immunity?

“Why should someone go and give immunity to President Muhammadu Buhari if he commits a financial crime or he commits fiscal crime or he commits another crime?


“Why should there be? I don’t think it is right and I will not support it anywhere, anytime.

“But for civil crimes, yes, because there might be some people who will come and say this guy has this and they are going to distract.

“But for crimes, I don’t think there should be immunity.”

Yusuf, however, expressed confidence in President Buhari as an upright man.

The senator said the clamour for life pension for principal of the National Assembly was unnecessary.

He said: “Personally, I don’t agree that the leaders in the National Assembly should be pensionable. I do not agree.”

NAN.