A two-term presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, on Sunday faulted the continued stay in office of three top security officials who, according to him, have exceeded the mandatory 35-year service limit.
The publisher of the Sahara Reporters and human rights activist, made his concern known in a statement issued on Sunday and made availble to newsmen in Abuja.
Sowore described the extension of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, the Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, and the Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NSC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi as a slap at national integrity and a gross disregard for institutional norms and legality.
He emphasised the breach of longstanding service regulations that stipulate automatic retirement after 35 years of service or upon attaining 60 years of age, whichever comes first.
He also warned that flouting such statutory rules not only damages the credibility of the civil service but also sets a dangerous precedent for executive impunity.
“These officers in the @PoliceNG, @CustomsNG, and @nigimmigration have exceeded the 35-year service limit and should have retired, but due to tribal favouritism, they remain in office.
“Their continued stay in service and office is a violation of service rules and a slap at national integrity. This is not governance, it’s ethnic capture,” Sowore emphasised, calling on the Federal Government to reverse the tenure extensions and uphold the rule of law.
“For us, justice and institutional order are non-negotiable. You can’t build a functional democracy on the back of the selective application of rules. Once you hit the 35-year mark, you retire. No one is above that,” Sowore added.
