The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has condemned the invasion of Edo State House of Assembly, describing it as unconstitutional.
In a statement on Thursday, August 6, 2020, its national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said: ‘’The attempt by the Nigeria Police Force to take over the Edo State house of Assembly is unconstitutional and illegal.
Can we ask the IGP Mohammed Adamu to study the Nigerian constitution properly so he does not run foul of the law?
“The Nigeria constitution has articulated and stipulated what is called separation of powers as enshrined in sections 4, 5, and 6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 as amended.
“The inspector general of police should read those sections of the constitution to know that he has no powers to interfere in the affairs of the state legislature unless he is legally and duly invited by the properly constituted authority of the state legislature.
“If he was not invited by the speaker of Edo State house of assembly and if the speculation is true that the police is there to destabilize the Edo state house of assembly then the action must stop immediately and all those police operatives that carried out the illegal operation must be arrested and prosecuted alongside the person who authorized such unmitigated illegality of monumental proportions which also is an attempted coup d’etat.
‘’If the IGP was the one that gave the illegal order then he should be arrested and prosecuted because he is not above the law, if on the other hand, the presence of the police in Edo State House of Assembly is on the invitation of the speaker it is okay, provided the police is properly invited by the properly constituted authority of the Edo State House of Assembly.
“If it is the former Chairman of APC Adams Oshiomhole that invited the police then it is illegal and he too should be arrested for the attempted overthrow of a part of the government because it is a coup and treason for anybody to try to change any government through illegalities as adumbrated unambiguously by the Supreme law of Nigeria.”
Source: Vanguard
