…as Police boss shuns invitation for 3rd time
The senate has declared the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris as an enemy of democracy, saying he is not fit to hold any public office.
The IG was expected to appear before the senate over the growing security concerns in the country and the case of Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west.
The first time the IGP was invited to appear before the senators, he accompanied President Muhammadu Buhari to Bauchi state.
At another date when he was expected to show up, the IGP went to Birin Gwari, Kaduna state, on a working visit.
“I have just been informed that the Inspector-General of Police is not here or anybody in his team so I think we need to decide on the next line of action,” Saraki said.
After it was established that the IG was not present in the upper chamber on Wednesday, Senate
President Bukola Saraki said the next line of action needs to be decided.
Senate leader, Ahmed Lawan, said he had not been able to reach the IG after trying to get him on the phone for two days.
“For the last two days, we have tried to reach the IG to inform him that he should appear today. Personally I made attempts to call his line and sent text messages. Clearly he is not here,” he said.
“I think this is very unusual and unfortunate. I feel that a public officer should do what is in the interest of the public. Where any public officer feels he cannot, then there is no need for him to continue to occupy that kind of office.
“This institution is at a crossroad on this. A decision has to be taken. But in a situation where there is consistent non-appearance by the IG. I don’t think we would make further sense to extend invitation.”
Idris’ failure to appear before the senate for the third time yesterday prompted the lawmakers to go into a closed-door session to consider the next line of action. The closed-door session lasted for about 50 minutes.
After the session, Saraki said the “persistent refusal” of the IGP to appear before the upper legislative chamber is a great danger to the country’s democracy.
“The senate in the closed session deliberated on the non-appearance of the IGP to the senate to the plenary after a series of invitation,” Saraki said.
“The senate noted that this has been a gross disrespect to our constituted authority and to also know that his earlier refusal to appear before investigative committee was overruled by competent court of jurisdiction just in April this year.
“The senate therefore view this persistent refusal a great danger to our democracy and hence the senate resolved to declare IGP as an enemy of democracy and not fit to rule any public office within and outside Nigeria.”
Saraki therefore mandated Lawan, to “look into the matter for further necessary action.”
…nobody has treated NASS with disdain like Idris – PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said no one has treated the national assembly with disdain like the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris.
The IG was expected to appear before the senate yesterday but he failed to honour the senate’s invitation on three different occasions.
In a statement yesterday, spokesman of PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the failure of Idris to appear before the senate as an “assault on our democratic process.”
Ologbondiyan wondered why President Muhammadu Buhari has not reprimanded the IG.
“This deliberate assault on our democratic process, willful denigration of the national assembly and recourse to totalitarianism has not been reprimanded by President Muhammadu Buhari, as the chief security officer of the nation,” the statement read.
“It is instructive to state that never in our democratic history as a people and a nation, has a service chief or an inspector general of police treated the national assembly with as much dishonor and disdain like the current IGP.
“All over the world, the legislature is a bastion of democracy and our constitution, in recognition of this, provides a special place for our national assembly, as the representatives of the people, to serve as a check on the executive arm.
“We therefore condemn this offensive on our democracy by IGP Idris as well as the deliberate insult being heaped on each of our legislators by appointees of President Buhari. We invite Nigerians to note that totalitarianism does not begin in a day. It starts from a deliberate disrespect to statutes, laws and institutions that engender democracy and rule of law.
“Consequently, the PDP, as a party, urges the president of the senate and senators to protect the institution of the legislature and our democracy by not limiting their action only to finding Mr. Ibrahim Idris as unfit to hold public office.”
The spokesman asked the senate to act within their powers to restore respect and dignity to the legislature
