NLC: restore Tambuwal’s security

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday lent its force to the condemnation of Inspector General of Police Suleiman Abba’s withdrawal of House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal’s security aides.

At the weekend, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) slammed the IG for the action, saying the police have no power to implement the law.

Like the NBA, the NLC called for the immediate restoration of Tambuwal’s security.

In a statement entitled “Nothing must happen to Tambuwal”, signed by NLC General Secretary Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, the congress said withdrawing the security detail for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is unconstitutional as no section of the Constitution states that the Speaker must come from the majority party.

The NLC said if the police did not withdraw the security aides of Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko and former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sherrif for defecting from the Labour Party and the APC to the PDP, there was no sense in withdrawing Tambuwal’s aides.

Demanding the immediate restoration of Tambuwal’s security, the NLC said the police and other security agents who carried out the action should hide their heads in shame.

The statement reads: “We at the Nigeria Labour Congress are appalled by the withdrawal of security detail of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, ostensibly because he had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The act is shameful, distasteful, unconstitutional and demonstrates our parochial sense of power and very little knowledge of history. No part of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria says the Speaker of the House of Representatives should come from the majority party.

“Section 50(1)(b) only says, “ There shall be …a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves…’

“In the Second Republic, the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, was elected from the ranks of NPP, not just an opposition party but the third strong , after UPN and NPN. We have other precedents across the world.

“We find it appropriate to cite the examples of Mimiko and Ali Modu-Sheriff, governor of Ondo State and former governor of Borno State respectively. Their security detail were not withdrawn when they defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“It gives us concern that our political leaders are determined to learn very little about democracy and always seem too keen to overheat the polity over things that count for little.

“The police and other security agencies complicit in this disgusting conduct should hold their heads in shame. Herein lies the essence of strong institutions which we have always advocated.

“For those who take pleasure in converting to personal use, public/state institutions, today’s men soon become yesterday’s men. What goes around, comes around.

“In light of the foregoing, we demand immediate restoration of Tambuwal’s security detail and all the rights and privileges that accrue to the Office of the Speaker. It is not about Tambuwal, it is about the office which he holds.

“And in any case, only few, arguably, will contest that he has not discharged and acquitted himself as speaker. We would like to be on record that we will not fold our hands while little minds threaten our hard-earned democracy. Nothing should happen to Tambuwal.”