Stripping Tambuwal of his security detail

By Rahaman Onike

The row currently generated by the defection of the Speaker of the Federal  House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal  from  Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to All Progressive Congress(APC) is a normal occurrence in polities.  The defection is long envisaged considering his romances with the so called progressives since the house was inaugurated. The circumstance that surrounded his emergence as speaker of the house has really justified the suspicion ab initio that he would dump the ruling party ahead of the next general elections.

Since man is a political animal, it is not an aberration for Tambuwal to want to change party. In politics,  change is inevitable. Before he arrived at the decision to dump Peoples’ Democratic Party for All Progressive Congress, he ought to have considered the implications being a man of experience and learned in law. Whatever his fate, I feel the action of the police to withdraw his security details is somehow unjust. The question of who heads the house is solely the business of the honourables. Any form of external interference will not be in the best interest of our democracy. An average political observer expects reactions when the house re- convenes in December, 2014.Whatever the likely reaction, police has no business

The majority  of the members of the Federal House of Representatives, in my own opinion, reserves the power to either retain or remove Tambuwal as Speaker following his defection but the house extant rules and constitutional provisions must be applied in letters and spirit. While the ruling party, the platform under which the man contested has the right to react, but it must be  with decorum. Even if the speaker had done anything wrong, due process needs to be followed. In the present circumstance, police has displayed over – zealousness and lack of decorum by withdrawing the security details attached to Honourable Tambuwal as speaker of the House when he is still the speaker. Now that the police has stripped him of police protection, it is assumed the Authorities had considered him impeached. Or he is expected to seek solace in private security guard.

The big question is who actually directed the Acting Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, to remove the speaker’s security details and what was the motive behind the action. The justification advanced by the police that its action was based on section 68 (1) (9) of 1999 constitution was wrong. Police ought to have allowed either the court of competent jurisdiction or members of the house decide his fate before withdrawing the security personnel attached to the Honourable speaker. I agree police owes the nation the duty of law enforcement but this does not include interpretation of law.

Without being immodest, constitution needs judicial interpretation to determine whether Honourable Aminu Tambuwal will retain his position as speaker after defection to All Progressive Congress (APC). In that section, the constitution provides that a member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the house of which he is a member, if he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that house was elected. What is playing out now shows hypocrisy of the power elite in the country. Before Tambuwal’s defection, there had been other cases, some of which were even celebrated by the presidency.

Whatever the fear of the People’s Democratic Party on the exit of Tambuwal from the Peoples’ Democratic Party, it is necessary due process is followed in addressing issues of defection cross the various political parties. If the peoples’ Democratic Party succeeded in removing Tambuwal as the speaker, what is going to happen to earlier decampees. Even if the Presidency is uncomfortable with Tambuwal’s defection, the Aso – Rock strategists ought to have demonstrated the spirit of sportsmanship in reaction to the ongoing power game. As the nation looks forward to the next general elections, police need to be cautioned, having severally been alleged of compromises during election duties in the past.

Given the impression the  police action has created, it is urgently required that the full security details of the speaker be restored  to him with apology, while the nation awaits the decision of the two-third majority of the honourables when the house reconvenes in December, 2014.

Rahaman Onike via onikerahaman01@yahoo.com