Ehindero, Rtd IGP, Defends Egbetokun’s Tenure Elongation

By Ayodele Oni

Former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sunday Ehindero, has said that the President has the power to determine who becomes his Police Chief.

Reacting to controversies surrounding the elongation of the tenure of incumbent IGP, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, Ehindero pointed out that there is no pressure, no matter how strong, that will make an incumbent President work with an unfriendly IGP.

He declared in a statement that “The appointment and elongation of tenure of Inspectors General of Police will always generate controversies. Such an appointment is political.

“And politics is riddled with controversies. In politics there is no right answer. The question is not whether your action is wrong or right, it is whether your action is valid.

“The President is given the power to choose an Inspector General of Police from serving members of the force with the concurrence and concordance of the Police Council.

“It is his right to determine the Inspector General of Police he could work with. No amount of pressure would make him work with an Inspector General of Police who is not his preference.

“You can force a horse to a river, but you cannot force the horse to drink water. There must be that chemistry between an appointed Inspector General of Police and the President.”

He however emphasized that despite the power of the president on IGP’s appointment, it does not make such an appointee a stooge.

“In my case, President Obasanjo demanded one hundred percent loyalty, not ninety nine percent. That did not make me a yes sir man. There were times when we disagreed on directives given to me. On finding out the facts, he conceded to me.

“In the case of Egbetokun, I know him very well. He was the ADC to President Tinubu while I was the Assistant Inspector General of Police in Zone 2, Lagos and Ogun states, while Mr. Okiro was the Commissioner of Police of Lagos State in the year 2001.

“If President Tinubu chooses to work with him for the duration of four years and that is backed by law, so be it. He is his choice.

“You cannot by any yardstick say Egbetokun is incompetent or not qualified for the job. Competence backed by law should be the overriding factor in the appointment and tenure of an Inspector General of Police.

“Let Egbetokun serve his four years tenure extension in peace. He deserves it by virtue of his competence, performance and academic qualifications.

“The extension of the tenure of Inspectors General of Police had always been controversial. My tenure extensions twice in 2005 for one year beginning from March 2006 and 2007 for three months were not without controversies.

“In fact, the President and I were taken to court for my tenure elongation. At the end of the day, the court ruled that it was a non-issue and dismissed the case.  At that time in 2006, there were no legislations in relation to the tenure elongation of an Inspector General of Police other than the Civil Service Rules and the Police Act and Regulation, CAP 359, Laws of The Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”