The public drama in which security detail assigned to House Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, were withdrawn because of his defection from the ruling PDP to the main opposition APC is shameful and most embarrassing to Nigerians. Lacking any legal justification, the decision by the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba was nothing more than self-seeking, whimsical and disdainful political vendetta. It is a debasement of one of the pillars of Nigerian democracy and a sad manifestation of the rule of force over the rule of law, which must not go unpunished. The fact that the decision was taken by a clearly compromised and partisan police boss is unacceptable and should be treated as a serious breach of the law. Such impunity must never be allowed to stand and it is just as well that a federal judge has ruled that Tambuwal remains the House Speaker, and Abba and his likely backers in the Presidency should perish the thought of by-passing him and convening the House. After over a decade of democratic experiment, there should be no more room for such conducts.
The act that built up the drama to this crescendo is public knowledge and needs no retelling. But the redeployment of the speaker’s security detail lifted the drama to the combustible point that has divided the political class and is playing out in the courts. Citing the 1999 Constitution, the police public relations officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said in a statement that the IGP approved the order for the redeployment of the security detail hitherto attached to Tambuwal, because of his defection from the PDP to the APC. “In view of the recent defection by Tambuwal, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, from the PDP to the APC, and having regard to the clear provision of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has redeployed its personnel attached to his office,” the two-paragraph statement read in part.
For the avoidance of doubt, if Tambuwal was not on the platform of the PDP, it is safe to assume he would not have a priori, been considered for the exalted position of speaker. But nowhere in the constitution is it stated that the Speaker must be a member of the ruling party. Besides, the security detail attached to the office of Speaker is on account of the protection required for that position as the nation’s number four citizen; not to the person, based on political leaning. Therefore, what happened to the Speaker, who is now contemplating hiring private security guards to protect him, was criminality of the worst kind and a national disgrace of immeasurable proportions.
In the face of this unprecedented attack on the legislature, the perceived silence of the federal authorities on Abba’s infraction is too loud or rather deafening for comfort; against the consuming desires of an imperial President Goodluck Jonathan, who now stands trial in the court of public opinion for lacking in vital attributes of political tolerance and democratic engagement. Nigerians are obviously apprehensive of the Gestapo tactics being employed against political opponents, fearing the country is gradually receding to the transmutation trajectory of military dictatorship which stifled Nigeria and brought shame upon the country. The on-going re-enactment of the antics of military dictatorship is contributing in no small way to heat up the polity, in the countdown to the 2015 general election. This should worry the president!
The public face of this misguided political vendetta is IGP Abba, who disgracefully acted out a script against Tambuwal which seems to have been orchestrated and masterminded by unseen powers in Aso Rock. The incontrovertible complicity of the presidency was illustrated by the unprofessional meddling, particularly by PDP political henchmen, who want Tambuwal out, and even threatened to reconvene the House without his authority, before they were stopped by the court. The impunity of Abba is such that he arrogantly usurped the powers of the judiciary, with a pedestrian interpretation of the constitution that borders on insanity and, therefore, confirmed the suspicion that he is carrying out a hidden agenda against the nation’s number four personality. Abba did this in total disregarded of section 50 (2) (c) of the constitution which stipulates that the Speaker can only be removed by a resolution passed by two thirds majority of House members. Besides, why did the IGP did not withdraw security details from Ondo State legislators elected on the platform of the Labor Party (LP), who decamped to the PDP? This insolence and double standards is unacceptable.
The situation with the Speaker is nothing but a manifestation of the deepening crisis of the culture of impunity and political intolerance that has held the country hostage for years. The situation is bewildering because it is happening under a supposedly democratic dispensation. Also, it is ironic because democracy is supposed to have inbuilt institutional mechanisms, both formal and informal, for addressing political differences and conflict of interests. Interestingly, the accommodation of dissent has been recognized as a fundamental element in any democracy. Unfortunately, the present dispensation even under a self-styled transformational president remains addicted to “do-or-die” politics.
The jury is out and the sympathies of ordinary Nigerians lie with the Speaker. The general belief is that the Presidency; against good advice, made a profound political miscalculation and error of judgment in overreacting to Tambuwal’s defection. They decided to punish Tambuwal for his “betrayal”. It is an open secret that the Presidency is using the police boss as cannon fodder, to destabilize Tambuwal. But the Presidency cannot extricate the president from the crisis. If they say Jonathan has no hands in the happenings in the House, people will instantly shout liar! Yet, his silence speaks even louder.
Suffice to say this brigandage by Abba is a pointer to the abysmal political leadership in the country and its immaturity. The growing trend of security agents being used to harass political opponents is frightening. Recourse to the abuse of police power and state authority is not a sign of political strength. Rather, it is a manifestation of an embarrassingly low level of political maturity, as much as a sign of indecorum, especially by the president and his party. Expectedly, the action provoked an outcry from many quarters in Nigeria over the police lawlessness. Everyone in the corridors of power has denied ordering the police boss to withdraw the Speaker’s security detail. But how can anyone explain the spectacle of the IGP unilaterally redeploying security details from the House Speaker? Either way, Abba abused his authority. He should resign immediately or be relieved of his duties without any further delay. Trying to emasculate Tambuwal is a meaningless show of power. It is totally against all known norms of political decency. Whenever democracy is under assault, all Nigerians of conscience must stand up and defend it. The time to rise in defence of democracy is now!
