Buhari dragged to court for extending IGP Adamu's tenure
- Nigerian Bar Association has taken legal action against President Buhari over the extension of IGP Adamu's tenure
- The Nigerian lawyers' group wants the court to determine the constitutionality of the tenure extension
- In the meantime, the NBA said its position is that the president acted against the constitution by extending Adamu's tenure
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
President Muhammadu Buhari has been dragged to court by the association of Nigeria's lawyers, Nigerian Bar Association, for extending Mohammed Adamu’s tenure as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).
A report by Daily Trust indicates that President Buhari, Adamu and the Police Service Commission are named as respondents in the suit filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Legit.ng had reported that President Buhari extended Adamu's tenure by three months, despite the fact that the police chief had reached the statutory retirement age.
Source: Facebook
Why Adamu's tenure was extended
Following backlash from Nigerians, the minister of police affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi explained that President Buhari extended Adamu's tenure to ensure that the right officer is appointed to succeed him.
Dingyadi reiterated that the tenure extension was in line with the desire of the president to make sure that a competent person heads the police force.
NBAs' position and what it wants
Legit.ng gathers that the NBA wants the court to determine the constitutionality of the president's action.
The lawyer's group explained that its decision is guided by an urgent need to reassert the supremacy of the rule of law in the face of growing impunity and the seeming reluctance of government's law officers to give proper counsel.
The NBA said its position is that Adamu ceased to be a member of the Nigeria Police Force when he attained the mandatory 35 years of service and called the extension of his tenure “unconstitutional”.
PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet!
In another report, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa has also described President Buhari's actions as unlawful.
Adegboruwa argued that when the tenure of a serving IGP expires on the ground of completing the mandatory 35 years of service, he cannot be asked to continue in office beyond his mandatory tenure.
According to him, the president lacks the power to reabsorb a retired police officer back into the NPF through a purported tenure extension, which, is not contemplated by law.
*************
Nurudeen Lawal is a Legit.ng journalist passionate about fact-checking/verification journalism. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature-in-English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. As Politics Editor, Nurudeen mostly writes on Nigeria’s political and socio-economic developments. He has attended different workshops, conferences and training on fact-checking and digital reporting, among others. Learn more about him on Twitter, @Nurudeen Lawal_
Source: Legit.ng
