Tinubu presenting his certificate-of-return to President Buhari
…Says “misguided” political actors behind scheme
By Ladi Patrick-Okwoli
Department of State Services, DSS, has disclosed that plan to install an Interim Government in the country is real.
The DSS also said that it has identified some unnamed key players behind the interim government plan.
Describing the plan as an aberration, the DSS said the plan would undermine civil rule as well as plunge the country into an avoidable crisis.
These were disclosed in a statement by the spokesperson for the service, Peter Afunanya.
The statement was titled ‘DSS confirms plot for interim government by misguided political actors’.
“The DSS has identified some key players in the plot for an Interim Government in Nigeria. The Service considers the plot, being pursued by these entrenched interests, as not only an aberration but a mischievous way to set aside the constitution and undermine civil rule as well as plunge the country into an avoidable crisis.
“The illegality is totally unacceptable in a democracy and to the peace-loving Nigerians. This is even more so that the machination is taking place after the peaceful conduct of the elections in most parts of the country”, it read in part.
Afunanya said these political actors have had several meetings where he said they were planning to sponsor violent protests in major cities in the country which would lead to a declaration of a State of Emergency.
“The planners, in their many meetings, have weighed various options, which include, among others, to sponsor endless violent mass protests in major cities to warrant a declaration of State of Emergency. Another is to obtain frivolous court injunctions to forestall the inauguration of new executive administrations and legislative houses at the Federal and State levels.
“The DSS supports the President and Commander-in-Chief in his avowed commitment to a hitch-free handover and will assiduously work in this direction. It also supports the Presidential Transition Council and such other related bodies in the States. It will collaborate with them and sister security and law enforcement agencies to ensure seamless inaugurations come May 29, 2023″, he said.
He urged those hatching those plans to stop, calling on the judiciary, Civil Society Organisations, and the media to be mindful of their antics.
Afunanya added that his service would take legal means possible to ensure the stability of democracy in the country.
“Consequently, the Service strongly warns those organising to thwart democracy in the country to retract from their devious schemes and orchestrations.
“Stakeholders, notably judicial authorities, media, and the Civil Society are enjoined to be watchful and cautious to avoid being used as instruments to subvert peace and stability of the nation. While its monitoring continues, the DSS will not hesitate to take decisive and necessary legal steps against these misguided elements to frustrate their obnoxious intentions”, he added.
AljazirahNigeria recalls that since the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections and the March 18 Governorship and State Assembly elections in which winners were declared by the electoral umpire, though largely described as short of international standard, highly criticized by the local and foreign observers, emotions were high and many have been on the street of Abuja and other cities protesting the failure of INEC to use its own electoral guidelines and especially uploading the Presidential election results from the polling units. Many of the protesters who spoke AljazirahNigeria correspondent on Tuesday in Abuja said that “Instead of swearing in the APC Presidential Candidate who was declared by the INEC as the winner , it was better to invite the military to take over the government pending the purging out of INEC corrupt staff and credible and fair elections conducted” , she said in tears. Recall that there have protests in most cities after the declaration of winners by the INEC. States such as Rivers State, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Enugu , Lagos, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna and Adamawa have witnessed pockets of protest demanding one thing or the other.
Political actors and their spokesmen have being heating up the polity with unguided vituperation against innocent people who made a choice during voting and against themselves in active Nigeria’s politics. Also foreign authorities have criticised the last two elections describing it as sham after their home countries donated cash and materials, engage elections observers and many more, that politicians and the INEC disappointed themselves and the country.
Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha, who doubles as the Transition Council chairman has assured yesterday that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari will not exceed the time and day of handover which is on May 29 and the President will handover to the candidate declared by the INEC Chairman, then that doesn’t stop the ongoing court cases as whoever the Court decides in his favour will be sworn in as the court ordered.
SGF said that if governors were removed through the court, he doesn’t know why people are afraid. He assured Nigerians that Buhari is going to Daura his village to rest and take care of his farm. Mustapha assured Nigerians of a smooth transition of power as always since 1999 the return to democratic rules.
