IGP ALKALI ADVISES POLITICAL ACTORS: TRUE DEMOCRATS SUBSUME PERSONAL AMBITION FOR OVERRIDING NATIONAL, DEMOCRATIC INTERESTS
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
IGP Usman Alkali Baba
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba yesterday advised political actors not to inflame the political space over their personal ambition. He wants them to rather look at the country’s overall good.
IGP Alkali Baba shared this important advice at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja. He noted: ‘It has been observed that some major political actors that the outcome did not favour, have been issuing public threats that are directed at instigating actions to frustrate the Presidential inauguration ceremony on 29th May, 2023. The Nigeria Police and the national intelligence community have been closely monitoring the
activities of these political elites as well as other elements who have formed themselves into unpatriotic brands whose only fantasy, in recent times, is to subvert our national security interests. In so doing, they seem to be bent on deploying extra-judicial and undemocratic means to truncate our democratic heritage in advancement of their narrow personal political considerations.’
‘The beauty of democracy lies not just in the freedom of the citizens to freely exercise their franchise within the electoral cycle. It is also hinged on the right of aggrieved political actors to submit grievances on the electoral outcome to the judicial process for
consideration. The credentials of a true democrat must, therefore, be measured by his or her level of patriotism, and willingness to manifest the culture of submitting to rule of law, peace, democratic values, and the judicial process. These are integral and critical
components of the political process’, National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP gathered.
The IGP advised the politicians, ‘It is also expected that a true democrat will subsume his or her personal political ambition under overriding national security and democratic interests of the country. Unfortunately, the public
utterances of some political actors and their current attempts at inciting public protests with a view to creating national tension ahead of the Presidential Swearing-in ceremony do not only negate these values, but they are also manifestly subversive, undemocratic,
unconstitutional. Having submitted their political grievances to the judicial process, it remains concerning that some of the political gladiators are still bent on engaging other extra-judicial means to
advance their interest in a manner that questions their overall intentions as well as the patriotic and democratic credentials which they project.’
‘Sustenance of peace and security is
even more expedient at this stage in our national democratic transition’, he pleaded.
