Governors elected on the platform the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesda said section 4(1) of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2019 is unconstitutional and call for its repeal.
The Act empowers the president to deduct 0.5 per cent of the total revenue accruing to the Federation Account for the benefit of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund.
Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, in a communiqué, advised that more funding options should be explored, arguing that beneficiaries of the Federation Account are the federal, states and local governments.
The Governors also noted the discrepancies in section 12(2) and section 12(4) of the Act, which deals on the deployment of Police Commissioners to the States.
“Whereas S.12(2) gives the responsibility to the Police Service Commission, S. 12(4) gives either the Police Service Commission or Inspector General of Police the same responsibility.
“This is even more regrettable as the Constitution gives this responsibility to the Police Service Commission (S. 215)(1)(b). We advise that the constitutional provision be upheld,” Tambuwal stated.
The Governors called for consultations with Chief Executives of various States on the deployment of police commissioners “since the Police is a common institution that executes the laws of both the federal and state governments.”
The forum noted the controversy surrounding the Water Resources Bill, 2020, which has been stepped down by the House of Representatives, and called for further consultations and public engagement before it could be represented to the National Assembly.
About 12 PDP Governors participated in the meeting.