Delta government has said that the decision of the state House of Assembly to override the veto exercised by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan on the Bill passed by the House prescribing death penalty for persons convicted of kidnapping does not portend a strain in the relationship between the governor and the lawmakers.
In a statement by Chike C. Ogeah, Delta State commissioner for information, he said both arms of government enjoy and will continue to enjoy warm and cordial relations.
“As an independent arm of government, the House was well within its rights in the exercise of its legislative functions in taking its decision”, he said, noting that “rather, it is the outcome of the principled stance of Governor Uduaghan against the prescription of the death penalty for convicted kidnappers in the Bill”.
He said in the governor’s letter to the House explaining his decision to withhold assent to the bill, the governor had noted that the death penalty for armed robbery in existing laws has not deterred criminally minded persons from engaging in the crime, saying that fixing the same death penalty for kidnapping in the Bill is not likely to achieve that desired purpose.
“In addition, there is no incident of kidnapping that does not involve the charge of violent crime, including armed robbery and use of dangerous weapons in prosecuting suspects. In effect, existing statutes provide enough grounds for charges of armed robbery which attract the death penalty should the law enforcement agents so desire.”
