Edwin Clark, an Ijaw national leader, says majority of
Nigerians believe in state police.
Speaking during a recent Channels Television interview,
President Muhammadu Buhari had said state police is not an option for the
nation.
Reacting to the president’s statement on Monday, Clark said
state police is one of the cardinal points of a federal system.
He argued that it cannot be discarded over fears that it
“could be used by state governors in persecuting perceived political
opponents”.
“Mr. President
dismissed the call for state police in the country. He said that state police
was not an option, that governors will misuse it. He gave an unrelated instance
of the relationship between state governors, and local governments, that there
is no functional local government in the country,” Clark said.
“While the president is right that no local government in
this country truly functions as provided by the constitution, not even the
joint account under which state governments receive monies on behalf of the
local governments, because the accounts are fully controlled by the state
governors, it is not enough to dismiss the demand for state police.
“Like I stated in my recent interview, state police is a
popular agitation by Nigerians and was robustly discussed and agreed upon
during the 2014 national conference.
“It is very
unfortunate that the state governors who are elected under the party are the
ones running the party today. But it is unconstitutional for Mr. President to
say that state police, which was even recommended by the El-Rufai committee —
as one of its items under devolution of power to be transferred from the
executive list in schedule 1 of the 1999 constitution, as amended, to schedule
II of the concurrent list — should be discarded.
“I totally agree with Mr. President that most state
governors have undermined the provisions of the 1999 constitution, where local
government is provided for under Section 8. They do not only abuse the joint
account system but also engage in establishing caretaker committees, rather
than conducting free, fair and democratic elections.
“I also agree with Mr. President that state police could be
used by state governors in persecuting perceived political opponents, but it is
also true that the federal government is also using the Nigeria Police Force to
persecute perceived political opponents, undermining the NASS and obstructing
free speeches. But that does not mean that the whole idea of state police
should be discarded? That will mean throwing away the baby with the bathwater.”
Clark said there is an urgent need to restructure the
country and to have a new constitution for the country to survive.
The Ijaw leader accused the president of being “insincere
and dishonest” with regard to his campaign promise of restructuring the
country.
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