The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has joined the growing number of Nigerians condemning the role of the Nigeria Police and the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba, in the withdrawal of the security details from Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.
Tambuwal’s security details were withdrawn two days after he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the Inspector-General declaring that he relied on section 68(1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, to carry out the act.
In a statement signed by its National President, Augustine Alegeh, NBA, while slamming Abba for allegedly taking laws into his hands, reminded him that he was not a judge and that the police was not a court to interpret the constitution. Therefore, the NBA said the police did not have the competence to determine whether Tambuwal violated those sections of the 1999 constitution or not.
“NBA Outrightly condemns this action as it is a breach of the constitutional duty of the police to provide police escort and security detail to the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Alegeh said.
“The Rt. Honourable Aminu Tambuwal still remains the Speaker of the House of Representatives and he is entitled to the full paraphernalia of his office, including all his police escort and security detail.
“We must state that, the mere fact that Rt. Honourable Aminu Tambuwal defected from one party to the other whilst being the Speaker of the House of Representatives, does not automatically strip him of his position as speaker of the House of Representatives and the attendant protection by the police.”
He further stated that, Abba should remember that Tambuwal’s emergence as Speaker was not by the effort of the PDP alone, but a mixture of a majority of the members of the House from different parties.
Alegeh warned that withdrawal of Tambuwal’s security details was a danger to Nigeria’s democracy and thus asked that the security be reinstated as Tambuwal remains the recognised Speaker of the House.
Tambuwal: Abba’s Action is against constitution — Lawmaker
Nigeria’s Senator Magnus Abe declared on Sunday that the acting Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, went against the constitution he argues he was basing his action of stripping Speaker Aminu Tambuwal of his security aides.
Abe said there was nowhere in the constitution where it was stated that the security aides from an elected official should be withdrawn upon the person’s defection from one party to another.
While addressing members of his party and constituents in Biara community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers, Abe asked the Police IG to reinstatement of the security details.
He said: “the constitution of Nigeria is very clear; it is such that a candidate becomes a Speaker of the House of Representatives once the candidate is a member of the House.
“The constitution says that members of the House will elect one person among members as their Speaker and Tambuwal was elected Speaker.
“The only way anyone can remove him as Speaker is by 240 House of reps members agreeing that he should be removed.”
He said Tambuwal’s security aides were withdrawn just to unsettle him since PDP knows that it would need 240 majority votes to remove him and that this is not possible.
He warned that if not properly handled, the situation could result in a political crisis that could set the country backward. He also pleased with Nigerians to reject moves by the PDP to illegally remove the Speaker.
“Nigerians should rise up and defend the constitution; they must make it clear to those violating the constitution that it is the constitution that will protect Nigerians,” Abe said.
“Tomorrow, when some of us are no longer senators, governors or the president, we will depend on the constitution to survive. It is therefore the sacred duty of all of us who are elected under this constitution to respect and obey the constitution.”
