STATE POLICE BILL: Akpabio aide questions Peter Obi’s “mental capacity”.

Tijani Mustapha, Media Aide to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has questioned the “mental capacity” of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) over his criticism of the state police bill.

Mustapha argued that Obi did not read the bill before criticizing it.

The former governor of Anambra State faulted the speed with which the National Assembly passed the bill, adding that the bill did not follow proper legislative procedures, thereby fueling suspicion among many observers about the political motives behind the bill.

Obi also regretted that the mechanism for passing the law seemed very disorganized, without any public hearings. He also highlighted widespread fears that the state police force could become an instrument in the hands of the governor.

Obi added that for state policing to evolve from a risky political gamble into a genuine security solution, the law must not only allow states to create police forces but also clearly provide for independent oversight bodies, such as state-level Police Services Commissions that are completely free from executive influence, to ensure that policing serves the public interest and not the interests of the ruling elite.

Reacting, Akpabio’s aide stated in X that Obi’s post showed that he “clearly did not read the bill as it was passed.”

He added, “I know this because his main concerns about the creation of an independent state police services commission have been addressed in the bill.

“For someone who doesn’t know the meaning of KPI, once again we wonder what the individual’s mental capacity is like.”