' I WITHDREW THE SPEAKER'S SECURITY DETAIL BECAUSE - IGP

The Acting Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, has defended his withdrawal of police personnel attached to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal.

Abba, in a terse statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said Tambuwal’s security aides were withdrawn since he had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

While he did not expatiate on his interpretation of the constitutional provision he quoted, Abba said Section 68(1) of the 1999 Constitution was specific about defection by elected representatives.

The one-paragraph statement read: “In view of the recent defection by the Right Honourable Aminu Waziri Tanbuwal, CFR, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, from the People Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC), and having regard to the clear provision of section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has redeployed its personnel attached to his office.”

Tambuwal had on Tuesday announced his defection from the PDP to the APC.

He was formally admitted into the APC on Wednesday.

As at press time, the leadership of the other security operatives withdrawn from Tambuwal were yet to react officially.