The war of attrition between the Nigerian Senate and the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris is getting messier and it is time President Muhammadu Buhari intervenes before it is too late.
Nigeria’s democracy consists of three arms of Government; the executive, the legislature and the judiciary; and while each arm performs unique functions and has special powers, nor arm is more important than the other. They are all equal, or at least they should be.
This is what appointed officials at the executive arm should know to avoid the destruction of the institutions of governance in the country. The flagrant abuse of orders and directives from the legislative arm by appointees of the executive needs to be checked. It began with the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd.), then it proceeded to the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, and now the nation is faced with the continued refusal of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to appear before the Senate.
All three men have either outrightly refused to honour invitations to appear before the Nigerian senate or have appeared but performed acts that could be interpreted as insubordination. The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, described by the president as a man of integrity has a funny way of displaying his ‘integrity’. The President cannot stay aloof while his appointees engage in acts of disobedience to the legislative arm. His silence will be interpreted as consent to the actions of his subordinates and contempt of the executive.
The Nigerian Senate is an integral and important arm of government that should be protected from any act of official recklessness as displayed by the IGP. This is not about Bukola Saraki or Ike Ekweremadu. It is about protecting the sanctity of the Senate.
The Senate is beyond individuals. For the President to stay aloof while his appointed officials choose to disregard the Senate is a bad omen for Nigeria’s democracy.
