If President Bola Tinubu, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, and the Department of State Services (DSS) do not act immediately, the suspension of Edo State’s 18 local government chairmen by Governor Monday Okpebhol and the state House of Assembly is set to escalate into a major crisis, according to the Nigeria Association for Public Opinion Research (NAFPOR).
The council chairmen’s decision to return to work tomorrow in spite of the governor and lawmakers’ recent suspension serves as the context for the warning.
According to NAFPOR, they decided to return to work tomorrow after the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and a Benin High Court ruled that the suspension order issued by the governor and state legislature was invalid.
Ahead of the local council chairmen’s return on Monday, NAFPOR has issued a warning about the repercussions of President Tinubu and the IGP’s continued silence in defending the impending threat to democracy. It claims that its investigation has shown a serious threat to human life and property destruction by those already demanding to replace the recently suspended elected chairmen in the councils.
“Research has revealed that the 18 Local Government Council Secretariats in Edo State may be set ablaze on Monday morning if President Bola Tinubu, the DSS, and the IGP do not immediately issue a public statement to caution against the ongoing positioning of thugs across the various Secretariats to prevent the democratically elected council chairmen from continuing their services to the masses,” NAFPOR said.
The research organization claimed that the police’s silence had been surpassed by death threats on social media platforms to murder the chairman and their assistants if they returned to their legitimate responsibilities. It voiced displeasure with the police’s lack of response to the current issue, claiming that the local council secretariats in Rivers State were burned down and killed as a result of the police’s tardy intervention, which should have been avoided.
In accordance with the Supreme Court’s ruling that gave local government areas autonomy, the AGF had previously characterized the governor’s and the Edo State House of Assembly’s decision to remove the council chairmen from their positions as unlawful. “The chairmen are set to resume office tomorrow, Monday, but as of now, thugs have invaded the various local government secretariats to cause mayhem. The earlier the IGP cautioned these thugs against a violent breakdown of law and order in Edo State, the better. We must build a proactive police system that is preventive and not reactive. Now that the crisis is brewing, it is the right time to stop it, not after the damage has been done,” it said.
A statement issued today in Lagos by the National Publicity Secretary of the group, Ufuoma Okiokpa, read: “To sustain the relative peace across the nation, the Nigeria Association for Public Opinion Research (NAFPOR) has called on President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector General of Police, and the DSS to make adequate security arrangements across every local government council secretariat in Edo State as the council chairmen are set to resume office on Monday, following the order by a Benin High Court, to avoid deaths and the burning down of government properties, as thugs are already positioned across the councils to prevent the chairmen from resuming.”
“The leadership of Nigeria’s security agencies is duty-bound to provide security for the democratically elected council chairmen to safeguard democracy. Political actors with subversive agendas should not be allowed to set the state ablaze on Monday as was witnessed in Rivers State recently, where council secretariats were set on fire.”
NAFPOR maintained that the current posture of the Governor of Edo State is inimical to the nation’s democratic and security interests and should not be allowed to undermine the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment, which granted autonomy to local governments across the country. “The Nigeria police must show Nigerians at this point that it is ready to defend the rule of law by enforcing the Supreme Court’s verdict and ensuring a stable security situation across Edo State. This call is urgent.
“The tension across the state is already creating insecurity in various quarters; the police must take a public position by assuring the citizens and the council workers of adequate security. Research reveals that some workers have travelled away from their local government headquarters as the threats seem very intense. Oredo, Etsako East, Egor, Esan Central, Owan East and West, Akoko-Edo, and Etsako West have already been allegedly submerged by thugs who are ready for mayhem. Workers are already afraid to work according to those in the various local governments,” NAFPOR added.
It stated that Nigeria’s democracy can’t remain firmly on course when elected council chairmen are violently and forcefully thrown out of office against the constitution in a democratic dispensation.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invited the chairmen and investigated them on Thursday and vindicated them of every allegation raised in a petition by the governor to the EFCC.”
“If this impunity is allowed to continue, it means that by next week, other governors will also throw council chairmen out of office, and the Supreme Court will be rendered a toothless dog that only barks and can’t bite. The Nigeria judiciary must also defend its judgment. It behooves the law enforcement agencies to enforce the law of the land for the overall peace and security across the nation,” the statement further added.
