The elders, Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum, MBF, Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, condemned the action of the police.
Recall that the Police had last week Tuesday allegedly blocked the Senate President, Bukola Saraki’s convoy at Lake Chad junction in Abuja.
READ ALSO : APC asks Saraki-led appointees from Kwara to resign or be sacked
Saraki was reportedly on his way to report to the police headquarters after he was invited for questioning by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris over Offa bank robbery when the incident happened.
However, the elders have insisted that the Police boss should immediately be sacked if he did not take instruction from President Muhammadu Buhari to carry out what they termed, “this major infraction.”
The stance of the elders was contained in a statement signed by Yinka Odumakin on behalf of Afenifere, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, NEF, Prof Chigozie Ogbu, Ohanaeze, Dr. Isuwa Dogo, MBF, and Senator Bassey Henshaw, PANDEF.
The statement reads, “The President should, therefore, be held responsible for the actions of the police as he or his assignee are the only people who can authorize the IGP to carry out any directive.
“If the Inspector General of Police did not take instruction from Mr President to carry out this major infraction, he should be sacked immediately. We, therefore, reject the disingenuous attempt by the Presidency to say it is keeping its hands behind its back while the police rode roughshod over the fundamentals of our constitutional democracy.”
They noted that the action of the police under the Idris leadership was the highest level of “irresponsible high-handedness and an assault on the democratic foundations of the nation.”
“This Forum is alarmed at the degeneration in the levels of responsibility of agencies of the state vested with the duty to protect the people and democratic institutions and those leaders who should hold them responsible.
“The action of the police is condemned in its entirety by the Forum because it shows clearly an attempt to muzzle the legislative arm of government by the executive arm. It would no longer be a democracy where any of the three arms of government is emasculated by any strong-arm tactics by another arm in entirety.
“The Forum, therefore, warns the government to desist from further damaging the democratic process by these acts of illegality and impunity as we regard the affront against the legislature as an affront against the people who elected them and call on Nigerians to be vigilant,” the leaders and elders said.
The Forum also admonished leadership of the National Assembly to remain focused and steadfast in the discharge of their responsibilities and defend the democratic space.
They urged all Nigerians to gird their loins as the country marched into “these challenging times” in order to prevent any attempt by any power to drag Nigeria back to the route she once travelled with attendant unpleasant consequences.
“We urge the leadership of the National Assembly to remain focused and steadfast in the discharge of their responsibilities and defend the democratic space as the legislature is the only organ that makes a difference between a military rule and democratic regime.
“Finally, we call on all Nigerians to gird their loins as we enter these challenging times and prevent any attempt by any power to drag us to the route this country once travelled with attendant unpleasant consequences. It is time we all say no to this festering full-blown dictatorship threatening the democratic project in Nigeria,” the elders said.
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