AAMEN made this call on Sunday in a press release made available by its Executive Director, Felix Oboagwina, just as it listed what it termed as “spate of anti-democratic abuses by the police under Idris against known opposition voices, to include: April’s refusal by police to stop thugs who invaded the National Assembly and stole the mace and subsequent failure to arrest and prosecute anyone for the infraction, July’s stopping of the convoy of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, and the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, from accessing the National Assembly complex and the reported assassination attempt on the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and his family with the police dismissing such without investigation.
Others, according to the group, are: “April’s police harassment of Senator Dino Melaye and the withdrawal of his security detail, October’s attack by police with teargas a peaceful protest in Abuja led by the Senate President, Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal and PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus over the controversial Osun State governorship poll in October, the nefarious role the police played in the Ekiti and Osun polls as condemned by international observers, including those from UN, UK and EU, which went viral.”
ALSO READ: Robbery scare: Police arrest man for shooting in the air, raising false alarm
AAMEN said that the police IG had clearly lost his professional impartiality and had demonstrated gross incapacity to provide the neutrality required in the 2019 polls.
AAMEN described the police invasion of the Akwa- Ibom State House of Assembly as a rape on Nigeria’s democracy and Constitution.
It also pointed out that the IG had brazenly changed the Commissioners of Police (CPs) in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)- controlled Bayelsa State, in which the state had seen eight CPs within two months.
AAMEN said that the All Progressives Congress (APC)- controlled Federal Government had by its role in the Akwa Ibom Assembly’s impeachment saga demonstrated a total disregard and disrespect for the sanctity of the nation’s democracy.
“It is clear that the action of the police under President Muhammadu Buhari reflects a hangover from his short-lived tenure as a military dictator when in 1983 he staged a coup d’etat to upstage the Second Republic,” the group said.
Describing the police as meddlesome interlopers in a purely legislative dispute, AAMEN asked other State Houses of Assembly to spend time on the matter.
“Today, the police high command under Mr Ibrahim Police constitutes the greatest threat to democracy in Nigeria,” the group said, warning, “It has become an ill-wind that promises no good for the coming elections, he (IGP) must be changed.”
AAMEN complained that instead of allowing Akwa Ibom legislators to democratically settle their conflict through the normal legislative and judicial channels, the police demonstrated uncommon partiality and joined the minority in the subjugation of the majority.
Accusing the police of illegally giving cover to the minority APC legislators in the House against the PDP majority, the group said the party pushed the Federal might down the throat of the government and people of Akwa Ibom.
Positing that the Legislature represented the only democratic element in governance, AAMEN said that tampering with it, as is currently happening in Uyo, amounted to endangering government of the people by the people.
“We urge the international community to note that the APC-led Federal Government has unleashed a reign of terror to oppress and subjugate the opposition, using the police as uniformed thugs to suppress the opposition,” AAMEN said.
“President Buhari must be held responsible for the confusion in Akwa Ibom and must be urged to immediately rein in his attack dogs. The police under IGP Ibrahim Idris must be roundly condemned for blocking the hallowed chambers,” it added.
“Sadly, instead of bringing to book the hoodlums who invaded the House of Assembly and assaulted the legislators, the police chose to instead take sides with thugs to prevent legislators from carrying out their constitutional responsibilities in the hallowed chamber,” it added further.
and then