Kaduna based lawyer and Executive Director of Human Rights Monitor, Barr Festus Okoye has counseled the Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Abba to restore the security details of the House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and save the country from the current embarrassment which his action has caused.
He said the confirmation of the appointment of Suleiman Abba as the Inspector General of Police in the midst of the controversy surrounding his withdrawal of the security details of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, underscored the need for him to be the Inspector General of the Nigerian people and not that of any political party or ideological creed.
“The Inspector General of Police should ,therefore, without delay restore the security details of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
“We say this against the background of the security situation in the country and the need not to put the Speaker in harm’s way. This is because, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is an embodiment of the legislature and his security should be a priority item for the Inspector General of Police. The Nigerian people have collectively spoken and have insisted that the security details must be restored and the least the Inspector General of Police can do is to bow to public opinion which goes in the same line with the constitution and the law.”
“We also note that Nigeria is a constitutional democracy with clear separation of powers and checks and balances. The function of guarding the constitution and our laws has been exclusively given to and donated to the judiciary. Nigerian will be on the path to fascism the day and the moment the Inspector General of Police adds to his portfolio the task of interpreting the laws of the country.
“We also caution those that are pushing for the reconvening of the House of Representatives not to throw the country into avoidable conflagration less than few months to a general election.”
Okoye said the House of Representatives had its own rules and procedures and same should be their guiding principle.
According to him, what is important is the integrity of the House and its ability to carry out its constitutional mandate. Nobody should destroy the institution on the altar of partisanship.