Emerging reports indicated that all the security personnel attached to the Speaker of the House of Representatives,  Aminu Tambuwal, have been withdrawn by the federal government.

It would be recalled that Tambuwal on Tuesday officially announced his defection from the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, to the main opposition All Progressives Congress, APC.

An aide of the Speaker who does not want to be named confirmed the development, saying that Tambuwal has been forced to seek private security personnel for his protection.

The police has confirmed the withdrawal of its men from the Speaker’s security team, giving constitutional reasons for doing so.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by Emmanuel Ojukwu, the police stated : “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.”

This confirms that the withdrawal of the Speaker’s security detail is connected to his defection. However, the police has jumped the gun, going ahead to interpret the constitution unlike the ruling party which has decided to await the ruling of an Abuja court on the status of decamped legislators.

Soon after he defected, the PDP asked Tambuwal to relinquish his position as Speaker having left the party through which he came to the House of Representatives in 2011.

Tambuwal who has become a big political figure in the APC received an exciting welcome on Wednesday, a day after his formal defection at the extraordinary mini national convention of the APC in Abuja.

As the Speaker of the House of Reps and the number four citizen of the country, he is entitled to have in his security details men from the Police, Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Security, DSS.

Full text of police statement

.IGP ORDER REDEPLOYMENT OF ITS PERSONNEL ATTACHED TO RIGHT HON AMINU W. TANBUWAL,CFR
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.

Ag. CP Emmanuel C. S Ojukwu psc

Force Public Relations Officer,

Force Headquarters,
Abuja.