The All Progressives Congress (APC) has in a strongly worded statement on Thursday condemned the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, for saying he does not recognise Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party noted that by refusing to recognise a Speaker, who was elected by members of the House of Representatives, and has neither been impeached by those who elected him nor removed by the Court, “the police boss has thumbed his nose at the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
”As the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Tambuwal is the symbol of authority of the House and our country’s number four citizen. By saying he does not recognise him as the Speaker, the IG has also indicated he does not recognise the entire House of Representatives.
“For a man, who was not elected by anybody to make this impertinent assertion about elected representatives of the people, is tantamount to treason. Mr. Abba has shunned all pretenses to neutrality, professionalism and decency and he is no longer fit to occupy the important office of the IG,” the party said.
APC wondered at what stage the IG realised the issue involving the Speaker was sub judice, accusing the police boss of constituting “himself into a court of law, which is the only body that is constitutionally empowered to make any pronouncement on the fate of the Speaker, and unilaterally withdrew the Speaker’s security detail.”
The party said Nigerians were aware that Abba, by himself, could not have acted the way and manner he had done.
”But the truth is that he is dancing to a drum of perfidy being beaten by his masters at the Aso Rock Villa. In the process, he has acted in contravention of his oath of office,” the statement read.
APC accused the IG of turning the truth on its head by saying he barred the Speaker and other members of the House from entering the National Assembly because Governor (Rotimi) Amaechi and the APC were planning to invade the Assembly as well as the Aso Rock and the Police Headquarters.
”Shortly after the incident, Police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu said the police acted the way it did because it got intelligence report that ‘hoodlums and thugs’ were coming to invade the House.
“Now, the police boss said it was because Gov. Amaechi and the APC were coming to invade the House. This is a most shameful lie from the highest police officer in the land, and it is a terrible dent on the image of the police under Mr. Abba.
”One wonders why the police was so concerned about the security of the National Assembly that it engaged in selective granting of passage to the principal officers of the Assembly. The Senate President was allowed to enter without qualms, just like the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. But when the Speaker came, he was locked out. That speaks volumes about the intention of the police,” APC said in the statement.
