The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has directed all its members across the country to commence preparation for nationwide protests from 15th January, if the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, is seen dressed in police uniform around the Force Headquarters.
The coalition, which described Idris as ‘retired IGP’ going by his attainment of 35 years in office as a police officer, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a serving police officer into the vacant office of the IGP as required by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Consisting of over 48 political parties, the Coalition insisted that Idris is no longer a police officer, having put in statutory 35 years in active service that ended on January 3, 2019.
The CUPP, in a statement on Sunday by its spokesperson, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, also noted that Idris will be 60 years of age on January 15.
The statement reas: “The continuous illegal parading of himself as the Inspector General of Police is an act of impersonation and a threat to our national security which should be stopped summarily.
“The opposition coalition wish to remind President Buhari to the sacred provision of Section 215(1)a of the 1999 Constitution which clearly holds that the President can only appoint a serving police officer as Inspector General of Police.
“This means that with the reaching of the mandatory retirement age of 35 years of active service on Jan 3rd 2019 and the mandatory retirement age of 60 years of age while in service by the IGP (which comes up on 15th Jan 2019) the IGP is constitutionally barred from been retained or reappointed as Police IGP as he is no longer a serving Police Officer and his continued stay in office is illegal and an act of impersonation as there is no legal or documentary contrary evidence to back up his stay as IGP.
“We call on President Buhari to be courageous to announce the replacement and not bow to the pressure to cement illegality in the core of the nation’s security architecture due to his desperation to rig himself back to power knowing he has been rejected by the Nigerian people”.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
