September 16, (THEWILL) — Former Rivers State Governor, Celestine Omehia, has rejected calls for the creation of state police, warning that such a move would be open to abuse by governors against political opponents.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday in Abuja, Omehia argued that governors have not demonstrated the competence to manage state-controlled police forces.
He said the federal government should retain responsibility for national security to safeguard both internal stability and territorial integrity.
He said, “In every country, security is truly the responsibility of the federal government because it has to secure the internal affairs of the state and also defend the boundary lines of the country.
“From my book, the security of the country should be the responsibility of the federal government. I am not subscribing to state police.”
Omehia expressed fears that state police would become a political weapon during elections. “In Nigeria, violence is now a tool in politics. If state police are created, they will become an easy and willing tool in the hands of governors to attack political opponents,” he cautioned.
On electoral reforms, the former governor proposed that the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be elected through a competitive process rather than appointed by the executive.
According to him, this would guarantee the chairman’s independence from political influence.
“I suggested that instead of an appointment, there must be an election to bring in who becomes the INEC national chairman. Since elections also affect the states, there must equally be elections at the provincial level to bring in national commissioners of INEC,” Omehia added.
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