Governors divided over state police.

By Yusuf Alli, Abuja.

Chairman Governor's forum Gov. Amaechi

Governors seem set for a stormy meeting today in Abuja, with some states withdrawing their support for state police.
Governors elected on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, the All Progressive Grand Alliance and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South are insisting on state police – an idea initially backed by 34 of the 36 governors.
Northern governors are backing out of the pact – to the amazement of their southern colleagues.
But the southern governors have got support from  Plateau State helmsman Jonah Jang, who is backing the idea.
Of the 36 states, 18 are in favour of state police; 17 are against and one is non-committal.
According to two of the governors, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, it is surprising that the Northern governors are backing out
One of the governors said: “Ahead of our session in Abuja on Tuesday (today), we are still insisting on state police. So far, all the governors in the South, irrespective of parties, are standing by our position on the creation of state police. I can tell you that state police has the endorsement of ACN, APGA and PDP governors in the South.
“What happened was that we all met and discussed extensively on state police. At the end of our meeting, 34 out of the 36 governors signed up for state police. Only Benue and Kebbi did not sign up. 
“Benue State , Governor Gabriel Suswam was not in the country when the matter came up and since he did not have the details of our meeting, he said he won’t rush at taking any decision.
“We opted for state security because we were all worried about the state of insecurity in the country and how to address the drift.
“It is also international best practices to reduce security to a manageable level that will benefit the citizenry. It is apparent that we cannot continue with a centralised police structure.
“The amazing thing is how Northern governors, whose states are under security siege, would have to back out at the last minute. We are suspecting that they are under a different political influence.”
The source noted that in the 60s, security in the North was managed by the Native Authority Police. It is surprising that the region is withdrawing from an initiative it had successfully pioneered,” he said, adding:
“And state police idea is not different from a new security initiative called ‘grassroots engagement’, which was recently suggested by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and ex-Military President Ibrahim Babangida.”
Another governor from the South said: “I think by Tuesday, we will be able to determine whether we still need the Nigeria Governors Forum or not.
“Leaders should learn to stand by agreement or consensus on issues.”
A governor from the North admitted that it was true that at the level of Nigeria Governors Forum, state police was accepted but some of the meetings were attended by Deputy Governors who did not fully understand the implications of such a security system.
He said the Northern Governors Forum later weighed all options and discovered that the nation is not ripe for state police.
“The fears of the Northern governors border on the fact that it may be used by any government in power to muzzle the opposition. Yet, the dynamics of politics in the North are completely different from the South.
“Would there have been power shift in Kano , Zamfara and Nasarawa with state police? Even the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Babangida Aliyu, used the platform of ex-Governor AbdulKadir Kure to get to power in what appeared a difficult circumstance. If there was state police in place, the Governor of Niger State would not have been allowed to win the poll.
“State police may breed more security problems in the North than addressing the insecurity in the region. We believe we are not ripe for it yet.”
The Director of Press Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State , Mr. James Mannok, said: “Governor Jang has been an advocate of state police and he said he should be put on record at the Northern Governors Forum’s meeting.
A source in Benue State said: “Governor Suswam is not opposed to state police but he is also not disposed to its immediate adoption at present because our democratic and political systems are always having teething problems.
“He said there is tendency for a state police to be used against the opposition.
“Also, funding is a major issue the governor has been considering. It is not a tea party to fund any police system when you talk of staffing, equipment and providing adequate security.
“The governor might change his mind later when our democratic institutions are strengthened and our political culture is mature enough to accommodate it. If there are superior arguments in future and he is convinced, he might support state police.”