The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has backed the proposed establishment of state police but insisted that governors must have constitutional powers to appoint and remove state Commissioners of Police for the arrangement to achieve its objectives.
The forum, comprising Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and the Middle Belt Forum, said granting such authority to governors would ensure true federalism.
It argued that anything short of that would amount to creating a federal controlled state police system.
The position was contained in a communiqué issued after the group’s meeting in Abuja. Reading the communiqué, Afenifere leader, Chief Oladipo Olaitan, also renewed the forum’s call for a new constitution that would devolve more powers to the federating units and strengthen Nigeria’s federal structure.
The forum further maintained that the Presidency should remain in the South after President Bola Tinubu’s first term in the interest of political stability.
It also criticised what it described as the declining level of internal democracy in political parties, urging a system that allows voters greater freedom in choosing candidates.
On security, the group commended the armed forces for recent successes against criminal elements in some parts of the country but called for intensified operations in violence affected states, particularly across the Middle Belt.
It also urged the Federal Government to strengthen collaboration with neighbouring countries and the international community to address insecurity.
