The House of Representatives strongly condemned the demand for an interim government in Nigeria during its Tuesday plenary.
InsideOjodu recalls that the Department of State Service (DSS) recently reported that it had verified a severe threat made by some individuals to sabotage the democratic process by establishing an interim national government.
Following a motion by Hon. Unyime Idem of the Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State, entitled “An Urgent Need to Condemn the Call for Interim Government in Nigeria” that was made in the plenary, the House urged the parties who felt wronged by the results of the 2023 presidential elections to wait for the courts to resolve the matter before filing a lawsuit.
Presenting the motion under matters of urgent national importance, Idem said “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, part 1, section 132, allows for change of leadership through the ballots.
“The constitution allows for a four-year tenure of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after each election cycle.
“Interim government is undemocratic, unconstitutional, and unknown to our laws as a court of competent jurisdiction had in time past so declare.
“On Wednesday, March 29, 2023, the State Security Service issued a warning on some individuals who are allegedly plotting to install an interim Government in Nigeria.
“If the plots are allowed to see the light of day, it will result in anarchy, with a price many generations after us will continue to pay for.
“The Judiciary is the only institution empowered by law to adjudicate over post-election matters.
“Some politicians have made comments that indicate their grievance over the last elections.
“If this development is left unchecked, we might be sliding into irredeemable anarchy”.
Contributing to the motion, Hon. Sergius Ogun, (Edo PDP) said that the call was unnecessary had the security agencies gone beyond mouthing the identification of the plotters to arresting and prosecuting them to safeguard democracy.
“I think the security agencies should do their work. If you are asking for a different government not known to law — it is a treasonable felony. Year in, and year out in this House, we budget billions of naira to the office of the NSA and other security arms. Is it not a shame that the security agents would come out and say they have the names of people that have muted this type of government in this country you will not arrest and prosecute them.
“You’re wasting our precious time telling us to condemn it. If this government is alive to its responsibilities this should not even be an issue that will we will be dissipating energy on in this House. People are dying every day in this country killed by bandits, killed by hunger. Go to hospitals people are not attended to. Children cannot even go to school. Do we even have a government in this country? If the government cannot perform between now and May 28 they should resign and go. Because this is not even an issue we should be discussing here. How can you wake up and tell us some people are debating interim government? It is a waste of time for this parliament to even begin to discuss and debate a nonexistent issue,” he said.
Also contributing, Hon. Ademorin Kuye (APC, Lagos) condemned the call earlier made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to halt the collation of election results.
He said “Even before our security agencies uncovered the plot, former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the letter he wrote to President Buhari condemning this free and fair election of 2023 and asking him to find a way of canceling without going to court. Who would have thought that somebody who had the benefit of free and fair elections will allow for due process? Former President Donald Trump sponsored protesters as they are doing in Nigeria currently to go to Congress and attack parliamentarians and that’s exactly what we are witnessing here. People sponsoring protesters to come to the National Assembly and attack members. And nothing has been done till today. The motion is timely and must be discussed, a commission should be set up to investigate this matter.”
Also speaking, Hon. Sada Soli (APC, Jigawa) said “This motion is timely, apt. The main function of the state services is to protect and defend the country from domestic threats within the country irrespective of the scope. Our committee on National security should have briefed us behind closed doors, we shouldn’t have been talking about this here because it’s a national security issue. But since it has been brought on the floor, it’s timely because it affects the Nigerians that we represent in this chamber.”
In the same vein, Hon. Abubakar Ahmad (APC, Gombe) urged the security agencies to step up their game.
“The resolutions that the house is going to make will put the issue to rest. When we condemn it and term it unconstitutional, also we should arm the security agencies to get into action. We can’t conclude whether it’s reasonable or not, but the resolution we are making today will enable anybody to approach the court. This not an exercise in futility rather we can see light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
The motion when put to voice vote got the endorsement of the majority and was therefore adopted by the House.