A Federal High Court 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 on Friday 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.

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.

The judge 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.

THE NATION