The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, has announced the withdrawal of a controversial bill he sponsored that would have allowed for the jailing of people who embarrass or disrespect government officials.
The announcement was made in a post on the official X handle of the House of Representatives.
“In response to the voices and concerns of the people, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., has decided to withdraw the Counter Subversion Bill and other related draft legislation,” part of the post reads.
Mr Abbas has faced criticism for the bill which contains other obnoxious provisions such as criminalising the refusal to recite the national anthem.
Recall the bill has been controversial recommendations of the bill which has passed the first reading in the House.
“A person who castigates, instigates, persuades, denigrates, embarrasses or brings into disrepute the leadership of a community, religion, lawful group, local government, State or Federal Government of Nigeria, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N4,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of two years or both,” clause 18 of Mr Tajudeen’s legislation reads.
