Peoples Democratic Party has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to allow Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, retire on January 15, the IG’s 60th birthday.

The party said this was one of the ways the President could convince Nigerians and the international community about his commitment to have free, fair and acceptable elections this year.

National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, who stated this while answering questions in Abuja on Wednesday, said there was no need to extend the tenure of the IG.

He said the police force as an institution has many officers capable of leading NPF.

There are insinuations that the Presidency is plotting to extend the tenure of Idris because of his alleged closeness to Mr Buhari and the national leadership of All Progressives Congress.

However, PDP said that President Buhari must show evidence that he would match his words with action, just as he said in his New Year message that the coming elections would not be a do-or-die affair.

Nevertheless, Ologbondiyan said that if APC and the President were not planning anything negative, they should allow Idris to retire.

He said, “One of the ways to demonstrate or show that he (Buhari) is committed to free, fair and credible elections, is not to extend the tenure of the IG, who is due for retirement this month.

“He has said that he is committed to having transparent elections. He needs to tell Nigerians by his actions, and not merely with words of mouth.”

Tenure elongation is reinforcement of failure, says PSC member

In a related development, a member of the Police Service Commission, Mrs Najatu Muhammad, has described tenure elongation in the force as what she described as “reinforcement of failure.”

Muhammad, who represents Nigerian women in the commission, said there was no way she would keep silent as a key stakeholder in the police and national security establishment.

She said it was even wrong to start discussing the extension of the tenure of the IG and service chiefs who she alleged had failed.

In a statement made available to the media, she stated, “The idea of extending the tenure of the IG and service chiefs who have woefully failed is a farcical travesty which abuses the patience and common sense of Nigerians. We can expect that the call of millions of people across party lines for their immediate retirement is not going to be unheeded by the President.”

Muhammad said that there were instances where policemen had absconded from their duties due to poor welfare, adding that the alleged evidence of abuse of power should not be ignored.

She said that protests by gallant men and women of the police force as seen in Borno, Owerri and Buni Yadi were unprecedented.

She stated, “Today, officers are abdicating from even training, rather than allowing themselves to be treated like cannon fodder; poorly armed, poorly paid, poorly trained and led to their early graves in droves while some of their junior ones are given rapid accelerated promotions to superior (and juicy) positions without training or recourse to due process.

“This is the prevailing environment within the Police Force today – the direct result of which is indiscipline and fallen morale amongst officers and the rank.

President has right to extend IG’s tenure, says Keyamo

In his reaction, however, Spokesman for Buhari Campaign Organisation, Mr. Festus Keyamo, said PDP was raising a false alarm.

Keyamo argued that the President had the right to retain or extend tenure of IG as he deems fit.

He said former President Olusegun Obasanjo also extended the tenure of a police boss during his time. He wondered why PDP did not complain when Obasanjo did it.

The senior advocate said, “The highest statutory rank you can get as a policeman is commissioner. Every other rank is a political appointment. So, it is at the discretion of the President to appoint or not. Let PDP wait till they get to power in many years from now before they dictate to the President on who to appoint.

“Nobody dictated to Obasanjo when he extended the tenure of the IG. These things are done sometimes for the purpose of convenience in terms of planning and arrangement because the ultimate desire of all of us is to have a peaceful election.

“PDP is jittery because they used to use the police and INEC to rig elections until the game changed in 2015. Even the former IG, Mr Suleiman Abba, said he was sacked because he refused to help them rig 2015 elections.”

Punch