2019: If you truly want free, credible elections, allow IG retire Jan 15, PDP tells Buhari

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to allow the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, retire on January 15, the IG’s 60th birthday.

The party said this was one of the ways the President could convince Nigerians and the international community about his commitment to have free, fair and acceptable elections this year.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan,  who stated this while answering questions in Abuja on Wednesday,  said there was no need to extend the tenure of the IG.

He said the police force as an institution had many officers that were capable of leading the NPF.

There are insinuations that the Presidency is plotting to extend the tenure of Idris because of his alleged closeness to Buhari and the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress.

However, the PDP said that President Buhari must show evidence that he would match his words with action, just as he said in his New Year message that the coming elections would not be a do-or-die affair.

Nevertheless,  Ologbondiyan said that if the APC and the President were not planning anything negative, they should allow Idris to retire.

He said, “One of the ways to demonstrate or show that he (President Buhari) is committed to free, fair and credible elections, is not to extend the tenure of the IG,  who is due for retirement this month.

“He has said that he is committed to having transparent elections.  He needs to tell Nigerians by his actions, and not merely with words of mouth.”