By Utitofon Idara
The Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba in a press conference today has read riot act to those planning to truncate inauguration.
According to him”Following the successful conclusion of the 2023 General elections, it has been observed that some major political actors that the outcome did not favour, have been issuing public threats that are
directed at instigating actions to frustrate the Presidential
inauguration”
He stressed that The Nigeria Police and the national intelligence community have been closely monitoring “the
activities of these political elites as well as other elements who have
formed themselves into unpatriotic brands whose only fantasy, in
recent times, is to subvert our national security interests’ and In so doing,
they seem to be bent on “deploying extra-judicial and undemocratic
means to truncate our democratic heritage in advancement of their
narrow personal political considerations”.
He noted that “The beauty of democracy lies not just in the freedom of the
citizens to freely exercise their franchise within the electoral cycle but It
is also hinged on the right of aggrieved political actors to submit
grievances on the electoral outcome to the judicial process for
consideration.
“The credentials of a true democrat must, therefore,
be measured by his or her level of patriotism, and willingness to
manifest the culture of submitting to rule of law, peace, democratic
values, and the judicial process. These are integral and critical
components of the political process”.
*A true democrat will subsume his or her personal political ambition under overriding national security and
democratic interests of the country. Unfortunately, the public
utterances of some political actors and their current attempts at
inciting public protests with a view to creating national tension ahead
of the Presidential Swearing-in ceremony do not only negate these
values, but they are also manifestly subversive, undemocratic,
unconstitutional”
“Having submitted their political grievances to the
judicial process, it remains concerning that some of the political
gladiators are still bent on engaging other extra-judicial means to
advance their interest in a manner that questions their overall
intentions as well as the patriotic and democratic credentials which
they project” he noted.
“The imperative of peace in our national
life cannot be over-emphasized. Sustenance of peace and security is
even more expedient at this stage in our national democratic
transition. Consequently, while the Nigeria Police, in synergy with
other security agencies and the intelligence community, continues to
closely monitor the activities of these political elements, it has
become expedient to make some clear statements”.
He sternly warns all political
actors with subversive agenda and their collaborators, particularly,
their foot soldiers who they are exposing to political radicalization
and extremism to, henceforth, jettison their on-going premeditated
attempts to create tension within the national space with intention
of derailing the 29th May 2023 Presidential Inauguration Ceremony.
Also, any such persons, regardless of their political affiliations who continuously engages in acts that are inimical to our
nation’s democratic and security interests should not be in doubt on
the firm determination of the Nigeria Police under my watch to closely
collaborate with the law enforcement family and the intelligence
community to defend our democracy, keep the internal security order
stable and optimally deploy our common unique assets towards
guaranteeing the successful conduct of the Presidential Inauguration
Ceremony
“We note that the Inauguration Ceremonies at all the
national and State levels of government are a critical constitutional
requirement for the sustenance of our political order as a nation and
the Nigeria Police is duty and legally bound to defend our democratic
heritage and closely police the constitutional processes.
Consequently, I assure the citizens that our loyalty to our democratic
and political order remains firm and unwavering. We will defend our
democracy at all costs. The 29th May, 2023 date for the swearing-in
ceremony of the President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and
indeed, other inauguration ceremonies at national and State levels is
sacrosanct”
Baba noted that “The constitutional mandates of the Nigeria Police include the security governance of the processes leading to the inauguration of
elected candidates at all levels and the guarantee for the successful
conduct of the inauguration events. We shall undertake this task
optimally and manifestly. Anybody that stands in the way will be identified, promptly isolated, and brought to deserved justice in the
overriding interest of our national security and stable political order”
” Consequently, citizens are encouraged to be mindful of the
antics of political elements who may want to manipulate their
political passion to advance parochial, undemocratic, and
unconstitutional objectives. They should resist such, go about their
lawful businesses and prepare to be part of the advancement of our
democratic journey as patriotic citizens by freely participating in the
inauguration ceremonies, assured that the Nigeria Police have
acquired adequate assets to guarantee their protection. They are also
encouraged to promptly report any attempts by the misguided
political elements to infiltrate their ranks and engender political
tension in the country for appropriate law enforcement response”.
“The international community is, similarly, encouraged not to be
swayed by the ill-informed actions of unpatriotic political actors who
may be creating false red flags through the social media. They are
assured that our democracy remains firmly on course, the country’s
security order remains stable, and the Presidential inauguration will
hold as scheduled under a very peaceful atmosphere”
“Conclusively I wish to, particularly, appeal to media practitioners to also be weary of the intents of these political
gladiators and resist the urge to deploy their credible media outlets
to advance their destabilization plots. Nigeria remains our national
heritage and working together, we should continue to advance and
place her interests over and above parochial personal or group
interests.
