NBA says the extension of IGP tenure unconstitutional
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over the extension of the tenure of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu.
The NBA filed the suit to challenge the president before the Lagos division of the federal High court in suit no FHC/L/CS/214/2021
The Public Interest Litigation Committee of the NBA sought a court order asking Adamu to vacate office. The lawyers argued that Adamu’s continuous stay in office is in contravention of the provisions of section 215(1)(a) of the constitution.
The suit read “An order directing the 3rd Defendant to vacate forthwith the office of the Inspector General of Police and refund all salaries, allowances, and benefits received from February 1, 2021, when he retired from the Police Force) to the coffers of the Federal Government of Nigeria”
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Commenting on the suit, NBA president Olumide Akpata said “The NBA’s decision to take this extraordinary line of action is underpinned by an urgent need and a sacred duty to reassert the supremacy of the rule of law in the face of growing impunity and seeming reluctance of law officers in government to give proper counsel
The NBA’s position in the suit is that Mr. Adamu ceases to be a member of the Nigeria Police Force when he attained the milestone of thirty-five years of service. Therefore, the President’s extension of Mr. Adamu’s tenure by three months, in the NBA respectful view, is unconstitutional.
“In the grand scheme of things, the NBA is wary that the more government officials casually violate the law, the harder it will become to expect citizens to be compliant. Citizens who take their cues from their leaders and public office holders who flout the laws of the country that they are meant to uphold will discover sooner or later that their examples will be followed by those that they purport to govern.”
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“The ubiquity of acts of impunity, especially by those in high public offices, portends an existential threat to the survival of this country and her hard-won democracy. The NBA, now more than ever, is firmly committed to changing this narrative.” He said