POLICE ACT 2020: PDP Governors Demand Repeal of Parts Voided by Appeal Court
Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday have asked that the ‘unconstitutional’ sections of the newly signed Police Act, 2020, which was set aside by the Court of Appeal be repealed by the National Aseembly.
A communiqué signed by the chairman of PDP governors forum, the Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, at the end of the meeting, a copy of which Nigerian Sketch obtained, noted that there were discrepancies in S.12(2) and S.12(4) of the Act.
The governors specifically implored the president and the National Assembly to repeal Section 4(1) of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2019, which “purportedly authorises the president to deduct 0.5% of the total revenue accruing to the Federation Account for the benefit of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund.”
According to them, the said deduction was patently unconstitutional.
“The Forum further observed the discrepancies in S.12(2) and S.12(4) of the Act on the appropriate authority with responsibility to deploy Police Commissioners to the respective States.
“Whereas S.12 (2) gives the responsibility to the Police Service Commission, S. 12(4) gives either the Police Service Commission or Inspector-General of Police the same responsibility.
“This is even more regrettable as the constitution gives this responsibility to the Police Service Commission (S. 215) (1)(b).
“We advise that the constitutional provision be upheld.
“Furthermore, the forum canvassed for appropriate consultations with the governors of various states on the deployment of police commissioners to the states since the police is a common institution that executes the laws of both the federal and state governments,” the governors said.
