By Christiana Ekpa
A former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, (VON) Osita Okechukwu, says State Police will hurt the nation’s nascent democracy.
Okechukwu, a founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, )APC) spoke on Saturday in Eke shortly after the burial of late Chief Bona Udeh, erstwhile Chairman of Udi Local Government Area in Enugu State.
The APC chieftain said that his lack of support for the establishment of State Police was due to his elementary study of the antics of dictatorship.
He stated that the study made him shiver each time he thought of what would happen to democracy if governors, who had since the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999 acted like emperors, are empowered absolutely to kill democracy.
“What salvation do we earn when careful consideration gazetted that majority of our dear governors are more or less akin to emperors, who are constantly in the breach of fine democratic tenets and civil liberties?
“My dear countrymen, do we in all intents and purposes make altruistic sense to further empower emperors?
“Emperors hated alternative views, abhorred popular participation and rule of law throughout the history of man.
“Our dear governors in similar manner abhorred the rule of law and popular participation. This is why they had, in the same bipartisan manner, opposed local government autonomy, independence of state judiciary and state legislatures,” he said.
Proffering solutions to the high level of insecurity in the country, Okechukwu said as a matter of urgent national importance, Nigeria needs a well-trained and well-equipped Special Constabulary Police, in line with the Nigeria Police Act, 2020.
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