The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to repeal Section 4(1) of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2019.
The section authorises the President to deduct 0.5% of the total revenue accruing to the Federation Account for the benefit of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund.
But the governors argued that the deduction is “unconstitutional” because the beneficiaries of the Federation Account are the Federal, States and Local Governments only.
In a communique issued at the end of a Zoom meeting and signed by their Chairman and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, the PDPGF advised the president to explore more creative funding options.
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The forum expressed worries at the controversy surrounding the Water Resources Bill, 2020 and the stepping down of the Bill in the House of Representatives, calling for further consultations and public engagement in the processing of the Bill.
The PDPGF said it had also referred the Water Resource Bill to the bodies of Attorney Generals of PDP states for advice.
The forum canvassed for appropriate consultations with governors on the deployment of Police Commissioners to states since the Police is a common institution that executes the laws of both the Federal and State governments.
Besides, it stated that there were discrepancies in sections 12(2) and 12(4) of the Act on the appropriate authority with responsibility to deploy Police Commissioners to the respective states.
“Whereas Section 12(2) gives the responsibility to the Police Service Commission, Section 12(4) gives either the Police Service Commission or Inspector-General of Police the same responsibility.
“This is even more regrettable as the Constitution gives this responsibility to the Police Service Commission (S. 215)(1)(b). We advise that the constitutional provision be upheld,” the communiqué stated.
At the meeting were Governors Tambuwal, Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom State), Senator Bala Muhammad (Bauchi State), Douye Diri (Bayelsa State); Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta State), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi State), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State), Nyesom Wike (Rivers State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo State) and Bello Muhammad Matawalle (Zamfara State).
