From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Former Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Chief Simon Okeke weekend said President Bola Tinubu had begun to implement Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party’s campaign manifestos as he faulted swearing in the President while the election results were still being contested in court.
Chief Okeke made the comments during a chat with the press at his residence in Amichi, Nnewi South Local Goverment Area of Anambra State.
He noted that it would have been the ideal thing for the tribunal and court to finish the legal processes to determine the actual winner of the presidential election before the inauguration.
“Since Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not the final authority on who a winner is, in an election, I think the best thing to do is to wait until the election petitions are delt with conclusively by the tribunal or Supreme Court as the case may be before swearing in any of the contenders, ” he said.
On the performance of President Tinubu so far after being sworn in, he said that it was too early to assess the President’s performance.
He, however, noted that so far, President Tinubu was not doing badly at the moment.
Chief Okeke mentioned the abolition of multiple rates for dollar, subsidy removal, suspension and arrest of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) and appointment of security chiefs as the right steps in the right direction.
He declared that President Tinubu was currently implementing the campaign promises of Mr Peter Obi who he said was a clear winner of the February 25 presidential election.
Chief Okeke was of the opinion that Mr Peter Obi should pursue his case to the maximum level possible to reclaim his mandate.
“The Obidients tsunami swept everywhere even Lagos State where Tinubu comes from. Peter Obi won the presidential election hands down, ” he insisted.
While reacting to alleged lopsidedness in some of the appointments made by President Tinubu so far, Chief Okeke, however, said that the development was not new in Nigeria, adding that the Federal Character policy had since stopped working in Nigeria. He said that the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission had failed.
He expressed the hope that if Peter Obi became the President of Nigeria, he would be fair to all.
In his comment on the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Chief Okeke said he believed that President Tinubu would look into that. He noted that he saw some signs of sympathy in Tinubu before he became the President.
On the security challenge in the South East, Chief Okeke said he had at a point told Governors in the South East to come and join the elders in the zone to meet with Mr President over the security situation in the zone. He said such a move would be the right step in the right direction.
He noted that police formations in the South East needed to be reinstated and eqipped to ensure adequate policing of the zone other than collapsing some police stations into Area Commands.