Warns Promoters To Bury the Plot

The Department of State Services (DSS), on Wednesday announced that the nation’s democracy is under threat as some key political players are plotting an unconstitutional interim government in Nigeria.

It warned those organising to thwart democracy in the country to retract from their schemes and orchestrations.

A statement by the DSS spokesperson, Dr. Peter Afunanya, said the planners, in their many meetings, have weighed various options, which include, among others, sponsoring endless violent mass protests in major cities to warrant a declaration of State of Emergency.

The agency said it considers the plot as an “aberration and a mischievous” way to set aside the constitution and undermine civil rule as well as plunge the country into an avoidable crisis.

“Another is to obtain frivolous court injunctions to forestall the inauguration of new executive administrations and legislative houses at the Federal and State levels,” Mr Afunanya said, stressing that the “illegality is totally unacceptable in a democracy and to the peace-loving Nigerians.”

The statement, coming barely a month after the February 25th presidential election that produced Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Nigeria’s next president.

Asiwaju Tinubu, 71, scored 8,794,726 votes, the highest of all the candidates. His closest rival, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 6,984,520 votes to emerge second in the election while Labour Party’s (LP) Peter Obi got a total of 6,101,533.

Both have refused to concede defeat, and the two closest contestants have launched a formal challenge of the results in the court.

The PDP standard bearer called the result “a rape of democracy” after getting 29 per cent of the votes and Mr Obi, who got 25 per cent, told his supporters they had been “robbed” of victory, and said the election is “worst in Nigeria’s recent history.”

An interim government would prevent Asiwaju Tinubu from being inaugurated as president on May 29 as constitutionally expected.

Former President Ibrahim Babangida annulled the victory of Basorun MKO Abiola in the 1993 presidential election. It was described by both local and international election observers as free and fair election ever conducted in the country.

General Babangida appointed Chief Ernest Sonekan as the Head of the Interim National Government thus deleting the mandate freely given to the late Social Democratic Party (SDP) standard bearer.

But a Lagos high court nullified Shonekan’s appointment and called for Abiola to be sworn in as the elected candidate for the presidency. In a dramatic and military move, General Sani Abacha forced Chief Shonekan to resign on 17 November 1993, and as the most senior military officer took over as head of state.

The DSS urged stakeholders including the judiciary, media and civil society to be watchful and cautious to avoid being used as instruments to subvert the peace and stability of the nation.