The Conference of All Progressives Congress State Publicity Secretaries (CAPS) has faulted the police withdrawal of the security details of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal , describing it as yet another act of brigandage against Nigerian democracy by the manipulated Nigerian Police Force.
The party said the act is further proof that the President Goodluck Jonathan Administration and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will adopt anything, even illegal means, to hang on to power, warning that no harm should happen to the Speaker.
A statement issued in Lagos, Thursday, and signed by the CAPS Chairman, Comrade Joe Igbokwe and the six zonal coordinators of the group, said the Nigerian police has sank deeper in its obnoxious role as the enforcement wing of the PDP by what it described as the horrendous assault on democracy.
While it called for the immediate restoration of the security details of the Speaker, it said that the need for state police has become compelling in view of what it described as the deliberate misuse the PDP has put the police to in its quest for inordinate power.
“We wonder when the police have become the law courts that it now whimsically interprets our constitution to the whims and caprices of its partisan masters. It has become obvious that the PDP is committed to the rubbishing of the nation’s democracy in the quest to satisfy the greed and inordinate political desires of its masters and this latest assault on the hallowed office of the Speaker and the entire legislature is one of such acts of impunity and mischief that must not be allowed to stand.
“We have noted as the Presidency directly interferes in the affairs of the legislature by inducing and promoting brazen acts of subversion against the legislature because the Speaker is no more a member of the PDP. Even as no law states that the Speaker of the House of Representatives must come from the PDP, the party has been instigating acts of sabotage against the leadership of the House of Representatives since Tambuwal defected to our great party.
“We note that there are laid down procedures for a change of leadership of the legislature and these are clearly stated in the constitution. We note that the principle of separation of power assures the three arms of legislature the absolute freedom for its legal acts, we note that no provision in our statutes prescribes the kind of inordinate heat, schemes, plots and intrigues the Jonathan presidency, the PDP and their armed wings are doing at present to impugn on the integrity of the legislature. A situation where the leadership of the Nigerian police betrays no shame in its already soiled face to say that they elected to become interpreters of the law and that it stripped Tambuwal of his security because he quit PDP is not only shameless, reckless and clearly mischievous. We wonder when the Nigerian police became the exclusive property of the PDP to use it at their beck and call.
“We are using this medium to warn Jonathan, his presidency, the PDP and the police that Burkina Faso is not far from us for a people pushed to the wall will certainly react. It is tragic that at a time the country is facing a protracted security crisis that has led to the loss of some parts of Nigeria to insurgents, the police high command, the Jonathan regime and the PDP are deeply engaged in plotting schemes to sabotage the legislature and provoke deeper crisis that stands to endanger the fragile democracy in place today.
“We urge all those engaged in illegal acts to remove the Speaker of the House of Representatives to refrain and embrace the verdict of the Abuja High Court that each Party should maintain the status quo ante. We warn that nothing should be done to provoke Nigeria into further crisis as we call on the police to immediately restore the security details of Tambuwal and refrain from further rubbishing of the force by refraining from its use for the dirty political schemes of the PDP,” the statement jointly signed by Igbokwe; North Central Co-ordinator – Mr Jonathan Vatsa; North East Cordinator – Rev Phineas Padio; North West Coordinator- Engr Yahaya Bashir; South East Coordinator – Arc. Okelo Madukaife; SouthWest Cordinator)- Mr Sola Lawal; and South South Coordinator) – Hon Fortune Panebi, said.
