Interim govt progenitors, enemies of Nigeria’s hard – earned democracy, says Otunba Odunowo
An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Ogun State and the National Chairman, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu Support Group (AATSG), Otunba Yomi Odunowo, has condemned in strong terms the plots by some unknown persons to generate illegality over legality via an interim government as it was certainly another panacea for creating a hydra – headed political problem whose consequences cannot be deciphered in the immediate and long term.
Otunba Odunowo, who made these remarks in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Seyi Shodipo, likened the plot to a coup and an attempt to scuttle the nation’s democracy after an election that was adjudged free, fair and credible with the emergence of Asiwaju Tinubu, whose antecedents distinguished him as the most qualified for the office of the President of Nigeria.
He noted that he had always thought it was a joke as the usual ‘ April fool’ was lurking when the rumour was spreading until the Department of State State Services (DSS) raised the alarm last week that following the general elections, some aggrieved persons were mooting the idea of an interim government, stressing that the country was not under any form of emergency rule to warrant the baseless talks about an interim government.
Otunba Odunowo decried the attempt of these disgruntled elements to destabilise the country, cause chaos and overheat the polity through the undemocratic agitation for the institution of an interim government, which the world knows to be unconstitutional as it is not known in law.
The APC chieftain said that anybody in his right frame of mind won’t stoop so low to undermine the nation’s democracy by calling for an unconstitutional way of effecting a change of government, more so that Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, whom the AATSG worked tirelessly for his success, had won the recently held presidential election and presented a certificate of return and, therefore, be sworn – in come May 29,2023 .
He stressed that Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu had been overwhelmingly elected by Nigerians to pilot the affairs of the country just as the Governors, members of the National Assembly and State House of Assembly and, therefore, considered the plot of an interimn government as treasonable and those behind it be promptly arrested by the DSS and charged to court for treasonable felony.
“Quite absurd that while majority of Nigerians are toiling day and night to preserve the nation’s hard -earned democracy, some unpatriotic, self – serving and enemies of democracy are planning to put a cog in the wheel of the nation’s democracy and they should first be arrested, taken to the psychiatric hospitals to ascertain their mental state of health before being prosecuted.
Otunba Odunowo further noted that the votes that brought in Asiwaju Tinubu were from every region of the country and Nigerians had spoken with their votes and the calls for an interim government were, therefore, from insane minds who wanted to set the country on fire.
The Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu Support Group National Chairman, therefore, appealed to all lovers of democracy in the country to wake up and resist any untoward attempt to subvert the nation’s democracy through any unconstitutional means under any disguise other than ensuring that Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and the elected state governors are sworn – in come May 29, 2023.
He, however, counseled whoever remained aggrieved to explore the opportunity of seeking redress in the courts as the election was a political process and circle, which was exhaustively concluded and the final stage would be the swearing – in of Asiwaju Tinubu as the President and Commander – in – Chief of the nation’s Armed Forces.
The APC chieftain, who recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had consistently promised that he would hand over to a democratically elected President, pleaded with the mischief makers to save the nation the pains of any imagination of political quagmire, stressing that if the PDP could hand over to the APC in a peaceful manner, nothing would stop APC to APC transition.
