Femi Falana, human
rights lawyer, says the senate “did not get it right” by tagging Ibrahim
Idris, inspector-general of police (IGP), “an enemy of democracy”.
Following
Idris’ failure to appear before the senate on three different occasions, the
upper legislative chamber said he is unfit to hold any public office.
The
IGP had been summoned over the growing insecurity in the country and also for
the case of Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west, who is currently in
police custody.
Idris
sent a representative in his place on two of those occasions but the senate
turned back the proxy.
Speaking
on a Channels TV programme on Thursday, Falana said the senate made a mistake
by bringing Melaye’s case into the picture.
He
said even with the killings, IGP is not the right person to summon, rather, the
minister of interior and the attorney-general of the federation.
He
said: “By virtue of section 67 (2) of the constitution, either chamber can
summon a minister when the affairs of his or her ministry are under
consideration.
The only other occasion a public officer can be summoned by the
national assembly is when proceedings are ongoing to expose corruption and when
a law is being debated either with a view to amending it or to have a new law
entirely. “But
there is no such powers given to the national assembly by the constitution to
summon everybody.”
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