Kano State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Abbas, has dissociated the party from some groups identifying themselves as “12 APC Groups” that backed Governor Kabir Yusuf to allegedly unseat the Commissioner of Police, Dr Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, for reportedly failing to appear at the 65th Independence parade on October 1.
Recall that “some groups under the aegis of APC 12 groups said in a release that the Commissioner of Police, Dr Ibrahim Bakori, should be sacked for refusing to participate in Nigeria’s 65th Anniversary Parade.”
However, in a swift reaction, Abbas described the group as fake and not members of his party. In a statement signed and made available to the media in Kano, the State APC Chairman stated: “Our members, who are genuinely APC card-carrying persons, backed the boycott of the police to the parade ground because he is answering to directives.”
Abbas called on the “Federal Government to even punish other federal security agencies who attended the Parade Ground for violating orders given to them.”
According to him, “the government should hasten the investigation of those other security agencies who participated in the event because they are directed not to participate.”
He also stated that “those 12 groups claiming to be members of the APC can best be described as fake members engaged by disgruntled politicians paid to do a dirty job for their paymasters.”
ALSO, a constitutional and human rights lawyer, Hamza Dantani, has described the CP’s decision as an affront to the Constitution and a breach of his professional oath.
He reminded the police officer that under Section 176(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the governor is recognised as the Chief Executive of the state.
“More importantly, Section 14(2)(b) of the same Constitution makes security and welfare the primary purpose of government,” he added. The lawyer explained that Section 215(1)(b) provides for a Commissioner of Police in every state, while Section 215(4) makes it mandatory for the Commissioner to comply with lawful directives from the governor regarding the maintenance of public order and safety.
“The Constitution is clear. The governor gives lawful instructions, and the Commissioner of Police is bound to comply. The courts, from AG Anambra State v AG Federation to Chukwuma v COP, have reinforced this position. Anything contrary is a breach of constitutional duty,” Dantani stressed.
