A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has upheld the power of the President to extend the tenure of a retiring Inspector General of Police (IGP) pending the completion of the process for the appointment of a substantive successor.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed made this pronouncement in a judgment in the suit by a lawyer, Maxwell Okpara, who challenged President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to extend the tenure of the immediate past IGP, Muhammed Abubakar Adamu for three months earlier in the year.
Justice Mohammed held that since the Constitution and the Police Act empower the President to appoint an IGP, by implication, he could extend the tenure of a retiring IGP before concluding the required consultation with the Police Council and other processes required for the appointment of a substantive replacement for the retiring IGP.
The judge also observed that the Constitution and the Police Act are silent on the issue of whether or not the President could extend the tenure of a retired IGP.
