Lagos
lawyer and former president of the West Africa Bar Association, Femi
Falana, has said President Goodluck Jonathan is taking an illegal step
by nominating former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, as
Chairman of the Police Service Commission.
Mr.
Okiro, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, was announced
Tuesday to head the police commission, the agency that regulates the
administration of police affairs in the country. If the senate ratifies
his nomination, Mr. Okiro will continue a south-south headship of that
critical security institution that has had Willy Bozimo as head for
eight years, followed by Parry Osanyande for four years.
Mr.
Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, in a statement in Lagos on
Thursday evening said: “While the former Inspector-General of Police
might have been qualified for the post on account of his experience in
the Nigeria Police Force he is disqualified by virtue of his membership
of the ruling party.”
Section 156 of the Nigerian
Constitution requires that a member of bodies like the police commission
“shall not be required to belong to a political party,” and Mr. Falana
is arguing that if Mr. Okiro’s nomination goes ahead, the president will
also be flouting section 42 of the Constitution that provides that “no
citizen of Nigeria shall be conferred with any advantage or privilege
that is not accorded to citizens of other political opinions.”
Furthermore,
article 13(3) of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights Act
stipulates that all citizens shall have equal access to the public
service of the country without discrimination whatsoever.
The
activist attorney noted that as “a loyal party member Mr. Okiro is
politically aligned and biased.” One implication of his nomination is
that he cannot be expected to be a dispassionate leader in an agency
“constituted by non partisan individuals of unimpeachable integrity with
regards to the recruitment and “discipline all police personnel other
the Inspector-General of Police.”
Seen in this
context, therefore, Mr. Falana said, Mr. Okiro “is not competent to head
the Police Service Commission,” because, as he argued, Mr. Okiro, based
on “his antecedents…is going to manipulate the members of the Nigeria
Police Force to serve the parochial interests of the People Democratic
Party.”
He said Mr. Jonathan should withdraw Mr.
Okiro’s nomination from the Senate for another competent Nigerian who is
not a card carrying member of any of the registered political parties
as the president had done in previous cases when he “removed registered
members of the PDP from the leadership of the Independent National
Electoral Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.”
Mr.
Okiro was a senatorial aspirant on the PDP platform in 2011 and has
always publicly admitted his membership of the ruling party.
Below is Mr. Falana’s full statement:
President
Goodluck Jonathan has just nominated a chieftain of the Peoples
Democratic Party, Mr. Mike Okiro as the Chairman of the Police Service
Commission. In line with the provisions of the Constitution the
nomination has been forwarded to the Senate for confirmation. While the
former Inspector-General of Police might have been qualified for the
post on account of his experience in the Nigeria Police Force he is
disqualified by virtue of his membership of the ruling party.
The
Police Service Commission is one of the Federal Executive Bodies
established under section 153 of the Constitution, section 156 thereof
provides that a member of any of such bodies “shall not be required to
belong to a political party”. More importantly, section 42 of the
Constitution provides that no citizen of Nigeria shall be conferred with
any advantage or privilege that is not accorded to citizens of other
political opinions. Furthermore, article 13(3) of the African Charter on
Human and People’s Rights Act stipulates that all citizens shall have
equal access to the public service of the country without discrimination
whatsoever.
By the combined effect of the clear
provisions of the afore-mentioned a body which is empowered to recruit
and discipline all police personnel other the Inspector-General of
Police is expected to be constituted by non partisan individuals of
unimpeachable integrity. As a loyal party member Mr. Okiro is
politically aligned and biased. Accordingly, he is not competent to head
the Police Service Commission. Knowing his antecedents he is going to
manipulate the members of the Nigeria Police Force to serve the
parochial interests of the People Democratic Party. Having regard to the
fact that President Jonathan had in the past removed registered members
of the PDP from the leadership of the Independent National Electoral
Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Mr. Mike
Okiro’s nomination should be withdrawn from the Senate for another
competent Nigeria who is not a card carrying member of any of the
registered political parties in the country.
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