Insecurity: Abaribe demands Buhari’s resignation as APC senators disagree

…Senate summons IGP to brief on Community Policing

…Asks Buhari to declare National Security Emergency

ADEKUNLE ADESUJI, Abuja

There was drama on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday as the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, demanded for resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari over worsening security situation in the country.

This is even as the Senators across party line called for the removal of Service Chiefs to pave way for fresh ideas in order to tackle deplorable security situation in Nigeria.

Also in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, worried over the deteriorating security situation in the country, members through a unanimous voice vote, called on the nation’s Service Chiefs to resign their positions.

The Service Chiefs had been in charge since 2015.

Opening debate on worsening security situation in the country on the motion titled, “Nigerian security challenges: urgent need to restructure, review and reorganize the current security architecture,” sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi and 105 others Abaribe said those in charge of the country’s security would rather rely on propaganda than do their jobs.

Abaribe also took a swipe at Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President, for his statement on the leadership of Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN).

He said, “Mr. President was expressing surprise but in accordance to our rules order 53 (13) I will not go into that but I can only say in pidgin English ‘this surprise, surprise me’.

“You have told us that in this solemn day in discussing this matter that we may not at any point be partisan, I want to say Mr. President if you didn’t insist that we will not be partisan I’d have called out the presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, who when the CAN leaders complained about the killings of a priest, he turned around and said CAN was acting like a political party.

“Boko Haram has been defeated, Nigeria is now safer, everything that was being done to make sure that the hard work that was supposed to be done in securing Nigeria was not done because certain people did not do their work but preferred to cover the eyes of Nigerians with propaganda and trying to find all these excuses for non-performance have now come to state us in the face.

“Mr. President, Nigeria did not elect the IGP, we did not elect the chief of staff, we did not elect the joint-chiefs or national security adviser, we elected the government of APC in 2015 and re-elected them in 2019. The reason we re-elected them is that they continued to tell us that they had the key to security.

“When you want to deal with a matter, you go to the head, so we will go to government and ask this government to resign because they can no longer do anything.”

But, the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan interrupted Abaribe’s submission saying that Nigeria reelected All Progressive Congress in 2019 because they saw improvement in their lives.

“I don’t want to be partisan and I advice against hate speech,” Lawan said.

Abaribe however in concluding in his presentation said: “That government even said if we don’t perform stone us, we are going with the stones to stone them now.”

Reacting swiftly to the call, the Presidency in a statement by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, described Abaribe’s demand as foolish.

The statement titled: Senator Abaribe’s Call On President Buhari To Resign Is Foolish  read:

“President Buhari to resign on what basis?

“Just because some characters think that President Buhari should resign, then they expect him to quit.  That call does not represent the opinion of the country. This is the opinion of an arm chair critic, known for making stray comments.

“If a leader like President Buhari needs to resign, there are millions of other Nigerians who need to resign, including Senator Abaribe who unlocked the door to enable the escape of traitorous and treasonable suspects.

“He signed the bond for the court to release Nnamdi Kanu on bail, from which moment the suspect disappeared into the thin air. Senator Abaribe has failed repeated deadlines to return Kanu to the court for trial, yet he has the effrontery with which to accuse someone of failing to the bidding of the law.

“This is a man who should have replaced the suspects he failed to produce in the correctional facility.

“Abaribe’s party raped the nation and left it collapsing in 2015 and President Buhari is fixing things up all the years he is in office.

“President Buhari is working hard to keep Nigeria and Nigerians out of the harm terrorists have unleashed in the entire Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa with the support of Nigerians and our foreign friends, he is going to finish off these terrorists.  He alone can do it.

Also, former Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu, APC senator countered Abaribe asking him to retract his comment and apologize, adding that the debate should be approached with responsibility.

On the way forward, some senators, who spoke, were divided over the creation of State Police. While some said that creation of State Police will destroy the nation’s democracy, others said that the gain will outweigh the challenges.

Some of the senators called for the sack of all the Service Chiefs, as they are bereft of ideas, adding that new officers with fresh ideas should be appointed.

In his contribution, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege said that security architecture is no longer effective as it should be, adding that it has been overstretched.

According to him,  if the state governors find it difficult to pay salaries, how would they be able to cope with State Police, noting that it wouldl be abused by state governors.

Adamu Aliero, the former governor of Kebbi State, said that for Nigeria to have State Police, some relevant sections of the Constitution must be amended and must go to the State Houses of Assembly to concur.

George Thomson Sekibo said that Nigerians are reaping what they sowed, adding that they should go back to God in prayer and ask for forgiveness of sin.

On his part, Ibikunle Amosun said that the best thing is for every state to have their own police while the main police still work, allaing the fears that governors will abuse it. He said the benefit of State Police will be far more than the negative. He said technology will solve the insecurity problem.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu said that states that are ready should be allowed to start their State Police, adding that Community Policing and State Police mean the same thing.

Other senators while speaking on the worsening insecurity in Nigeria called for the removal of Service Chiefs saying that the tenure of Security Chiefs has expired long time.

Senator Betty Apiafi said that Mr. President should appoint the new service chiefs because the current service chiefs are illegally occupying the office.

She said, ” The tenure of Security Chiefs has expired long time, they are illegally occupying the office, they should allow them to go and allow new people to step in.”

Also speaking in support of removal of Service Chiefs, Senator Matthew Urhoghide said that the Service Chiefs have overstayed adding that they are bereft of ideas to tackle the insecurity in the country.

According to him, there is restiveness in the Armed Forces, the Service Chiefs have overstayed, they are bereft of ideas.

He added that there is no coordination among the security agencies in Nigeria saying that the National Security Adviser (NSA) should be able to coordinate the Security Chiefs in Nigeria.

In addition, Senator Adeola Olamilekan backed the removal of Service Chiefs and also called for the establishment of State Police to tackle the deplorable insecurity in the country.

Most of the Senators called for the establishment of State Police in order to confront the worsening security situation in Nigeria.

Senators speaking in support of State Police e are Opeyemi Bamidele,  Adetumbi Olubunmi, , Smart Adeyemi,  Ibrahim Shakarau  and Ya’u Sahabi.

Olamilekan  said, ” Our order is crumbling, those who are in control must be able to fix the crisis. New world order police is needed, we have federal police, we don’t have national police, legislative intervention is what we need who is afraid of State Police?

At the end of the five hours debate, Senate set up ad-hoc Committee to interface with security agencies and report back to lawmakers in two weeks’ time .

The motion was sponsored by 105 Senators. Members of the ad-hoc Committee are Senators Abdullahi Yahaya (Chairman), Abaribe, Aliyu Wammako, Ibrahim Gobir, Yusuf Yusuf, Kashim Shettimma, Bala N’Allah, George Sekibo, Ibikunle Amosun, Abba Moro, Kabiru Gaya, Mohammed Ndume , Abdullahi Sabi and Senator Greshom Baseey.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Adamu Mohammed is expected to brief the Senate on February 5, on modus operandi of Community Policing.

In his closing remarks, the Senate President, Senator Lawan said that the lawmakers should pray that the Executive implements the recommendations submitted on the s security issues in the country.

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