By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The House of Representatives has kicked against an alleged plan to install an interim government in Nigeria, urging security agencies, particularly the Department of State Services (DSS), to be on alert and forestall any plans to cause chaos or mayhem in the country.
At the plenary on Tuesday, the lower chamber of the National Assembly said those against the inauguration of a democratically-elected government on May 29, 2023, should have a rethink.
Debating a motion of urgent national importance in Abuja today, the lawmakers appealed to parties not satisfied with the outcomes of the 2023 general elections to patiently allow the judicial process to take its full course.
Moving a motion, Mr Unyime Idem described an interim government as “unknown to democracy and our
Laws,” arguing that, “It is not something that we should support, especially given that our democracy is a young one.”
“The judiciary is the only organ empowered by law to adjudicate on post-election matters,” he submitted.
In his contribution, Mr Jimoh Ibrahim stated that “it’s satanic and devilish for anybody to have thought about an interim government,” asking, “How can someone say they don’t want the elected representatives to be inaugurated?”
Another lawmaker, Mr Ademorin Kuye, warned that the DSS’s advisories should not be taken lightly, noting that there were existential threats to democracy in Nigeria as he referred to the letter former President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari, advising him to cancel the elections, as one example.
He recalled that even in the US, there had been such threats to derail democracy when former President Donald Trump reportedly “sponsored” demonstrators to go to the Capitol and attack legislators.
“We shouldn’t wait until something happens before we begin to take necessary actions,” he added.
Adedapo Adesanya