By Okechukwu Nwanguma
It
cannot be overemphasised that the brutal police assault on the Speaker and
other members of the House of Representatives and the unwarranted use of tear
gas to disperse them and disrupt the house proceedings is not only
unjustifiable but a patent display of partisanship.
This
is not the first time a Nigerian President would send the IGP on an illegal and
partisan mission to harass leaders and members of a separate, equal and
independent arm of government. In 2000, under President Obasanjo, the IGP
invaded the official residence of the Senate President, late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo
for defending the independence and integrity of the Senate. Under Obasanjo
still, the police were also used to abduct a sitting governor in an illegal
attempt to remove him from office for standing up to an imperial President.
I
dare say that this blatant display of partisanship by the police at the
National Assembly has once more brought sharply to the fore the danger inherent
in centralising both policy and operational control of the police in the hands
of the president. Nigeria is the only jurisdiction where the President holds
absolute control of the police and easily manipulates them to achieve his
political interest and advantage. The extant legal framework ensures that the
NPF remains partisan and accountable only to the president who appoints and
can, at will, fire the IGP. This, not only destroys police professionalism and
effectiveness, but also undermines the principle of separation of powers.
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