Police, Opposition And 2015 Elections The recent attempt to stop the speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, from entering the National Assembly last week thursday and the fall-out of events of that day have generated a new set of wories relating to the neutrality of the Nigerai Police Force, in the light of the 2015 elections, writes Adesuwa Tsan. W hile reactions are still trailing last week’s siege of the National Assembly by men of the police force and the subsequent assault of lawmakers, staff and visitors with tear gas, Nigerians are yet to understand the reasons adduced by the Nigeria Police Force for the incident which happened last Thursday. For starters, they have argued that the incident echoed similar past events in Rivers State, where the police gained more popularity because of their involvement in the political crisis that rocked the state, rather than in their role to avert it. At exactly 10:50 am last Thursday, security operatives led by the commissioner of police in charge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Wilson Inalegwu, shut the gates of the National Assembly and blocked Tambuwal’s convoy from gaining access into the premises. Curiously, at 10:21am that same morning, the deputy speaker, Hon Emeka Ihedioha, with his full official protocol and convoy, was allowed access into the National Assembly unhindered while the Senate president, Sen. David Mark, used the back gate to gain entrance. The gate which was earlier blocked with an armoured personnel vehicle was opened after some minutes of his arrival. Police Explains Invasion…. According to a statement issued later that day by the force public relations officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, on why the National Assembly was surrounded by men of the force bearing guns and moving with armoured tank, using tear gas within the premises of the assembly and especially in public, congested area such as the lobby of the National Assembly in a bid to stop the speaker and other members of the House from going into the chambers earlier, the police acted to maintain law and order, but were rebuffed by some “hoodlums and never-do-wells’, who tried to beat security check at the gate. According to the statement, “When we have information that something bad is about to happen, our job is to stop it from happening and all we did yesterday was to forestall such an occurrence,’’ adding that some hoodlums accompanied the speaker and refused to be checked at the gate, leading to them closing it when the speaker tried to gain entrance into the National Assembly premises. He said that the policemen acted professionally, one of the officers was assaulted in the process, leading to the dropping of the teargas that caused commotion at the complex. “The policemen on ground acted according to their discretion and to the best of their ability. I am satisfied with what the policemen did yesterday. Law and order must be respected at all cost and at all times otherwise the nation will be in turmoil. You cannot make a law and be a breaker of the law, it’s not acceptable in normal societies, ’ he said. IG’s Position Inspector General Abba Suleiman appeared before the House of Representatives on Wednesday where he also spoke along the lines of the spokesman of the force on the incident. He said the action of the police was in “support of the development of democracy” in the country and to ensure a peaceful political climate in the lead-up to the 2015 elections, while accusing Tambuwal of storming the National Assembly with ‘suspected political thugs’ and attacking police officers in their legitimate duty posts, adding that trouble started when Tambuwal and his supporters refused to identify themselves to police officers on duty. Going further, he added that “police officers were physically beaten, disobeyed and many other things”. He explained, “I told them to do everything within the limit of the provision of the law to ensure that people do not take laws into their hands, so that we can have credible and safe conduct of the 2015 elections.2015 elections are around the corner and political activities and politicking have heightened. As a result of that, I discussed with my colleagues and told them that we should make all efforts to make our election credible and peaceful. On the heavy deployment of the police on November 20, Abba said the police received ‘credible information’ of plans to cause ‘mayhem’ and disrupt activities in the National Assembly, INEC and the police headquarters. “There is the need to understand why the additional deployment was made that day. On the 19th of November, members of a political party, including their leaders and a serving governor conducted a rally at the Eagle Square. They proceeded in a procession to the headquarters of the Nigeria Police and made uncomplimentary statements among which was the fact that what they were doing that afternoon was just a tip of the iceberg of what they will be doing in subsequent days. “They promised to come back on the 20th to continue the procession with the blockage of the police headquarters, and even promising to extend to other areas including the National Assembly and the headquarters of INEC. “Bearing in mind what happened in the parliament in Burkina Faso on October 30, 2014, security was strengthened and it included that the operational procedures of the security of the National Assembly must be complied with. That is why the arrangement for self-identification were made for members to identify themselves, and that went around and some of the principal officers of the National Assembly complied and that went on until when that was disrupted on the arrival of Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal who was accompanied by quite a number of suspected thugs, who crossed the fence”. Did Tambuwal go to the National Assembly with thugs? What happened on that fateful day took place in the full glare of the public; lawmakers, staff, visitors, journalists and every other person that had business to do there on that day. Reports from these eyewitnesses have differed largely from how the police narrated its own version. The speaker of House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal and other lawmakers came into the National Assembly the same way they have been doing since they became lawmakers but were stopped at they gate for identification, which the speaker did, even going as far as saying he should be allowed to go into the National Assembly to preside over the plenary as the speaker. The only people in his company were his aides and colleagues. After waiting and not getting reprieve to go in, Tambuwal came down from his official car, formally introduced himself to security operatives manning the locked gates and demanded to see the commanding officer. ‘’Gentlemen, my names are Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and I am the speaker of the House of Representatives. I am here as our constitution demands to go in and preside over the sitting of the House. Officers, I would like to know who the commanding officer is here. Can you identify me as the speaker of this House?” he asked. The police officers at the gate remained mute after he asked the question and the FCT police boss was seen muttering something and walking away from the gate. About 30 minutes later, the speaker used the opportunity of a small gap between the gates to enter the assembly premises, after which the gap was closed by the policemen, locking out other members who had come in with the speaker and who had gathered around to see what was happening. It was at this point that the lawmakers started jumping over the fence to join the speaker who was all the while walking down to the main building that houses the two chambers. On sighting the speaker and his entourage, the police fired three tear gas canisters at them. The security operatives also went into the lobby and fired more tear gas canisters into the lobby.Amidst the commotion caused by the tear gas, Tambuwal’s aides rushed in and provided him with a handkerchief to cover his nostrils. But, unfortunately, two of his aides fainted after inhaling the noxious gas. Others scampered to safety as the speaker was shepherded into the chamber. We allowed police impunity to fester-Senators The deputy Senate president, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday disclosed how the legislature stood by and watched over the years as the police took laws into their hands during any executive, legislature squabble, yet did nothing to stop a future occurrence. He recalled that during the tenure of former president of the Senate, the late Chuba Okadigbo, the police barricaded the Senate president’s official residence during one of his face-offs with the executive but nothing was done to call the police to order by the Senate. “I am sure it is because we let it go then, that’s why it happened again”, he said. He queried how an independent arm of government could have been “desecrated” in such a manner, saying if there was truly a security threat, they ought to have been informed first before such an action is taken. This was supported by Senator Ali Ndume who warned that the level of impunity is getting worse under the watch of the Senate president. “The level of impunity today under your watch, under you advise, is getting worse…we make these laws, people are breaking them and we are not doing anything. The law states clearly, the punishment for such actions. The laws are very clear, the IG violated that law, he should be punished”, he stressed. Senator Abdul Ningi likened the invasion of the National Assembly to a coup attempt. “The Senate president is not a hooligan, neither is the speaker. This is a clear coup attempt and therefore what the police did is condemnable and the Senate must bring the perpetrators to justice. Anything short of investigating this matter will bring down this government in no time”, he warned. On his part, Senator George Akume, described the action as criminal and illegal and insisted on punishing the offenders. “This is impunity because the speaker was at the gate and even introduced himself to the police. Even if it is the inspector general or the president that gave the orders, he must be told in clear terms that this issue violates the constitution and the consequences is very serious. This assault is a collective assault on all of us; we must restore the dignity and sanctity of the National Assembly!” An adhoc committee chaired by Senator Ahmed Makarfi (PDP, Kaduna), with senators Atiku Bagudu (PDP, Kebbi), Victor Lar (PDP Plateau), Adegbenga Sefiu Kaka (SDP, Ogun), Paulinus Igwe (PDP, Ebonyi), Jibrilla Bindo (APC, Adamawa) and Ehigie Uzamere (PDP, Edo) as members was subsequently set up to investigate the incident. What the law says Section 14, 15 and 16 of the Legislative House (Powers and Privileges) Act deals with the conduct of people who are not lawmakers in the National Assembly. Section 14, which deals with entry to the chamber or precincts of legislative houses states: (1) No stranger in respect of a legislative house shall be entitled to enter or remain within the chamber or precincts of the legislative house without the authority of the president or speaker, as the case may be, of the House. (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, where two or more legislative houses sit in session for the transaction of business in the same place, then while anyone of those legislative houses is sitting, no person who is not a member or officer of that House shall be entitled to enter or remain within the chamber or pre- cincts of the House without the authority of the president or speaker, as the case may be, of the House. Section 15, on offences relating to admittance to the chamber or precincts, states that any person who: (a) being a stranger enters the chamber or precincts of a legislative house without permission duly granted under the authority of the president or speaker, as the case may be, thereof contrary to the provisions of section 14 of this Act, or being therein with such permission refuses to leave at the order of the president or speaker, as the case may be, of the legislative house; or (b) being admitted to the chamber or precincts of a legislative house as a stranger contravenes any rule made by the president or speaker, as the case may be, of the legislative house under the standing orders of that House re- lating to the admission of strangers; or (c) attends any silting of a legislative house as representative of any newspaper or journal after a general permission granted under the standing orders of the House to the representative or representatives of that newspaper or journal has been revoked, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a tine of fifty naira or to imprisonment for three months or to both such fine and imprisonment. Section 16. Obstructing members or officers, and creating disturbances, etc. Any stranger in respect of a Legislative House who- (a) hinders or obstructs any member of that legislative house coming to, going from or being within the chamber or the precincts thereof; or (b) interferes with, resists or obstructs any officer of a legislative house while in the execution of his duty; or (c) creates or joins in any disturbance which interrupts or is likely to interrupt the proceedings of that legislative house while it is sitting; or (d) sits or votes in that legislative house, shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of one hundred naira or to imprisonment for six months or to both such fine and imprisonment. Need to nip the brewing storm in the bud That 2015 elections is going to be one of the most contested is obvious. This is due to the fact that more Nigerians have now taken interest in the political affairs of the country and have gained more exposure than previous years. There are other factors, including religion, ethnicity, regional sentiments, among others, that are beginning to build tension and apprehension in the polity. Having been disenfranchised for so long and now seeking accountability and fairness in the affairs of the country, Nigerians are bent on ensuring that the next elections are as free and fair as can be. Therefore, any incident that could be viewed as going in the opposite direction of their aspirations could lead to a storm. The type that is currently brewing in the political atmosphere. The Nigeria Police Force was established to provide security for all Nigerians by protecting law and order in the society. With the recent events in the National Assembly, the police can be seen to have deviated from that role. The inspector-general of police (IGP), Suleiman Abba leaves no doubt of his partisan affiliations, having taken up the fight of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure that Hon Aminu Tambuwal is no longer the speaker of the House of Representatives. According to Abba, Tambuwal has defection from PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and therefore, according to his interpretation of the law, has ceased to be speaker of the House. Abba, at an investigative hearing convened by the Hon. Usman Kumo-led House Committee on Police Affairs over the November 20 police attack on the National Assembly, repeatedly referred to the speaker as “Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal”, to the consternation of lawmakers. According to him, the matter of defection was before a law court, it would be subjudice to make further statements. Usually, the status quo is maintained when a case is in court, meaning since the speaker was not impeached by his colleagues after his defection, and having filed a suit in court that has not been dispensed on the matter, he remains the speaker until a judgment that says otherwise is pronounced. Abba’s position raises the question: Who is committing subjudice between the House, Nigerians and IG Abba? These are signs of things to come in 2015 and unless, like the Senate said, the “excesses” of the police is nipped in time, the future of democracy in Nigeria is very
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 02:44:34 +0000
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