The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari must allow the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, retire on January 15.
The IG would turn 60 on the said date, the constitutional retirement age for police officers.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, who expressed this view while answering questions in Abuja on Wednesday, noted that there was no reason to extend the IG’s tenure, insisting the Force had more than enough qualified and capable officers to take over from him.
He equally expressed the view that by letting Idris go, the President would convince Nigerians and the international community about his commitment to have free, fair and acceptable elections this year.
Recall that there have been reports that the President was planning to extend the tenure of the Police I-G for six months to enable him over the upcoming general elections.
However, there have also been insinuations that the President’s intentions were based on the I-G’S alleged closeness to him (Buhari) and the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress.
Speaking on Wednesday, Ologbondiyan said that President Buhari must live up to his words in his New Year message that the coming elections would not be a do-or-die affair.
“He has said that he is committed to having transparent elections. He needs to tell Nigerians by his actions, and not merely with words of mouth, ” the PDP Spokesman said.
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Meanwhile, a member of the Police Service Commission, Najatu Muhammad, has said that tenure elongation of the I-G amounted to “reinforcement of failure.”
According to her, it was wrong to even discuss tenure extension for the IG and service chiefs whom she alleged had failed.
Muhammad, representing the Nigerian women in the commission, in a statement on Wednesday opined: “The idea of extending the tenure of the IG and the service chiefs who have woefully failed is a farcical travesty which abuses the patience and common sense of Nigerians. We can expect that the call of millions of people across party lines for their immediate retirement is not going to be unheeded by the President.
“Today, officers are abdicating from even training, rather than allowing themselves to be treated like cannon fodder; poorly armed, poorly paid , poorly trained and led to their early graves in droves while some of their junior ones are given rapid accelerated promotions to superior (and juicy) positions without training or recourse to due process.
“This is the prevailing environment within the Police Force today – the direct result of which is indiscipline and fallen morale amongst officers and the rank.”
