Tambuwal heads to court as police remain adamant on security aides

Aminu Tambuwal, speaker of the house of representatives, will head to court to challenge the withdrawal of his security aides by the police.

“He has resolved to take a legal action after meeting with his associates,” a member of the house of representatives, who asked not to be named, said.

Tambuwal is expected to file the suit between Friday and Monday, although the details remain sketchy.

This is coming as the police authorities have insisted that the escorts will not be restored, contrary to an earlier report by TheCable.

TheCable had reported that President Goodluck Jonathan was going to convene a meeting to discuss the controversy, after which the police would restore Tambuwal’s security.

However, it has now emerged that at the meeting at the presidential villa on Friday morning, Suleiman Abba, the acting inspector-general of police, told Jonathan the police had not acted in error.

Abba ordered the withdrawal of the security aides on Thursday, citing Tambuwal’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC) as reason.

The action had been widely condemned as politically motivated since the police are not empowered to interpret a constitutional matter.

A presidency source had told TheCable on Friday that the acting IG “clearly acted on bad legal advice in taking the decision”, but a source at the police headquarters said there was no error committed.

“Tambuwal got special security privileges because he was elected speaker on the plat form of PDP. The law says if you defect, you lose your position. Those saying it is the courts that will interpret a simple law like that do not understand the issues. If a policeman sees a man involved in a crime, he has the power to act. To now ask him to first go to court before he carries out his duty is nonsense,” the senior police office said.

Presidency is yet to make an official pronouncement on the development despite all fingers pointing in the direction of Jonathan.

Meanwhile, APC senators plan to make it difficult for the confirmation of the appointment of Abba as IG.

Abba, appointed in acting capacity in August, needs to be confirmed by the senate.

Angered by the Tambuwal saga, leading APC senators have vowed to block Abba’s confirmation, TheCable was told.

But his confirmation requires only a simple a majority or a voice vote, and the APC does not have the numbers in the upper chamber of the national assembly.

Although defections are now taking place on almost weekly basis, the PDP had 65 of the 109 senators as at the last count.