U.S.’ McConnell says won’t haggle with House over impeachment trial plan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Majority leader Mitch
McConnell said on Wednesday the Senate would not haggle with the
House of Representatives over procedures for President Donald
Trump’s impeachment trial, adding that the Senate would make a
decision on calling witnesses for the trial at the appropriate
time.

Speaking on the Senate floor, the Republican senator expressed
exasperation that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a letter to her
fellow Democrats on Tuesday night, had indicated she would continue
holding back the House-passed articles of impeachment from the
Senate until she knows more about Senate plans for the impeachment
trial.

McConnell did not specifically answer Pelosi’s demand, but
lambasted her actions as “game-playing” and said she could not
dictate the Senate’s trial proceedings.

“There will be no haggling with the House over Senate procedure.
We will not cede our authority to try this impeachment,” McConnell
said. If Pelosi sought leverage over the Senate, McConnell said,
“no such leverage exists … it will never exist.” He accused Pelosi
of wanting to keep Trump “in limbo” over the trial
indefinitely.

The House in December charged Trump with abusing his power for
personal gain by asking Ukraine to announce a corruption
investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading
contender for the Democratic nomination to face Trump in November’s
presidential election.

It also charged the president with obstructing Congress by
directing administration officials and agencies not to cooperate
with the impeachment inquiry.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the House brings impeachment
charges, while impeachment trials are held by the Senate. But
McConnell has said that Senate rules prevent the Senate from
starting the trial until the House sends it the articles of
impeachment, and the House has not done so.

Trump says he did nothing wrong and has dismissed his
impeachment as a partisan bid to undo his 2016 election win. White
House officials say they want and expect a speedy trial and
acquittal by the Senate.

McConnell said on Tuesday he had enough support from his fellow
Republicans to set the rules for the impeachment trial, dealing a
blow to Democrats’ efforts to call new witnesses against the
president.

Democrats responded by saying they still want more details on
the trial process before any further action is taken. In her
letter, Pelosi said she needed to see the details of McConnell’s
plan for the trial so that “we can see the arena in which we will
be participating, appoint managers and transmit the articles to the
Senate.”

How we promoted 10,114 Police Officers in One Year- IGP
Adamu

It is with a feeling of elation that I decorate another set of
Deputy Commissioners of Police with their new ranks of
Commissioners of Police.

2. Beyond the change in professional status, this event
represents a due recognition of the history of professional
excellence of all the forty (40) Deputy Commissioners of Police
being celebrated today. That their promotion, like other previous
exercises, was guided by the principles of seniority and merit is
also reflective of their record of discipline and invaluable
experience.

3. The capacity of the human assets of any organization,
particularly, at strategic management level is fundamental to the
attainment of the goals and mandates of such institution. This is
why it is often said that no organization can advance beyond the
competence and dedication of its strategic leaders, neither can any
organizational goals and plans be attained without a crop of highly
committed personnel to drive the implementation process.

4. This assertion is even more critical for a law enforcement
agency that is as strategic to internal security of the nation as
the Nigeria Police Force. This is because the rapidly changing
dynamic of crime and the attendant increasing threat to security
requires quality police managers that have the requisite
professional knowledge, experience and competency to effectively
provide leadership directed at managing such internal security
realities.

5. The import of this is that any organization that does not, or
delays in recognizing the potentials of its personnel and rewarding
them by promoting those eligible as at when due, stands the risk of
retaining crops of highly demotivated officers who would not be
optimally dedicated to the standards and goals of the institution.
It is in cognizance of this fact that I have since my appointment
as Inspector General of Police, been collaborating effectively with
the Police Service Commission in ensuring that appropriate
processes are emplaced to identify and promptly elevate deserving
officers with unblemished service records for promotion.

6. This is a strategic management approach directed at
motivating the workforce of the Nigeria Police in committing to the
duty of addressing current and emerging internal security threats.
I am delighted to note that this policy has been highly effective
and between the January 2019 when I was appointed to date, a total
of ten thousand, one hundred and fourteen (10,114) officers have
been promoted on merit.

7. This comprises of seven thousand, one hundred and
twenty-seven (7,127) Inspectors to ASPs; one thousand, three
hundred and seventy-five (1,375) ASP-DSP; four hundred and
ninety-eight (498) DSP-SP; five hundred and sixty-six (566) SP-CSP;
one hundred and fifty (150) CSP-ACP; two hundred and seventy-three
(273) ACP-DCP; and seventy-five (75) DCP-CP inclusive of the forty
(40) officers being decorated today. Others are thirty-five (35)
CP-AIG; and fourteen (14) AIG-DIG.

8. I hold the firm conviction that all of you, the newly
promoted Commissioners of Police seated here fit perfectly into my
human capacity development requirement and I am confident that you
will deploy your wealth of experience toward supporting the Nigeria
Police in the attainment of our mandate, especially at this crucial
time in our nation’s internal security evolution.

9. Let me, however, remind the promotees that to whom much is
given, much more shall be expected. Crime, as you know, is a
dynamic and increasingly complex phenomenon and the nation demand
of you higher level of loyalty, courage and professional competence
needed to move the Nigeria Police and indeed, the nation to the
next level in relation to internal security. In furtherance to
this, some of you shall be deployed to critical duty posts where
your strength of character and professionalism shall be optimally
tested.

10. In the discharge of your duties, which can sometimes be
challenging, you should deploy your intellect, be civil to the
citizens and be guided by the need to respect extant laws. In
addition, you must demonstrate sound professional judgement in all
your decisions knowing that you could be called to account for your
actions or inactions. I trust that you shall not fail the Nigeria
Police Force, neither will you fail the nation in the arduous
responsibilities that your new rank shall impose on you.

11. I wish to on this note, immensely thank the Police Service
Commission for supporting our reform agenda and aiding in the
attainment of our human capacity development initiatives. I look
forward to the sustenance of this collaboration.

12. Finally, I heartily congratulate and share the joy of the
moment with all the newly promoted officers and their families. I
pray that Allah (SWT) should continue to perfect your careers and
grant you all the courage to sustain and continually exhibit those
professional virtues that led you this far in your professional
journeys.

IGP Mohammed A. Adamu
Inspector General of Police