RIVERS ELECTION:POLITICIANS, JUDICIARY AND THE POLICE
By Trek Africa Newspaper
Strange things do happen in our polity but like Dele Giwa wrote in the early 80s, he said he was immune to shocks concerning our country.
I recall in the 90s, during the legal battles against State Security (Detention of persons) Decree 2 of 1984 (as amended), a Decree that gave the military authority the power to detain anyone for as long as it wanted, Justice Pats Acholonu, JCA (as he then was), raised a poser, following the argument of the government counsel that Decree 2 could not be questioned.
He said, supposing there is a law which prohibits all women from giving birth at nine months, would such a law be obeyed despite its absurdity?
That poser comes to mind in view of the macabre dance of the judiciary and police regarding tomorrow’s local government election in Rivers State. I read a press statement by the Rivers State police command and l shudder.
Imagine our police high command saying there is a court judgement of Abuja Federal High Court, restraining it from monitoring and maintaining law and order during tomorrow’s Rivers State local government election. Apart from the oddity and absurdity of such a purported court order, stopping the police from maintaining law and order, l find it incongruous and dangerous for the police to claim that there is a court judgement that prevents it from maintaining law and order.
So, what is the primary responsibility of the police? Does it mean the police will be on holiday in Rivers State tomorrow? I think there is a limit to the politicization of the judiciary and police and l want to admonish the IGP and some judges to show more restraint in what l perceive as their partisanship in political matters. Just like Dele Giwa said about 40 years ago, nothing shocks me again in our polity but l want to assume that no judge worth his/her salt should make such an order.
Finally, now that the police are quick to obey court orders obtained by interested politicians over an election, l hope they would also be quick to obey similar orders obtained by ordinary Nigerians on fundamental Rights enforcement issues.
