Lawmakers Decry Call for Interim Govt, Warn Aggrieved Parties to Desist from Heating Polity

The House of Representatives on Tuesday condemned an alleged plot by the political class to put in place an interim government as a replacement for the nation’s democratic system.

The Department of State Services (DSS) had last week disclosed that some set of the political classes were planning to install an interim government to truncate the just concluded presidential election.

Reacting to the DSS claim, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described it as a covert plan by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and DSS to subvert the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.

At the plenary, lawmakers across party lines contributing and adopting a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Hon. Idem Unyime (PDP, Akwa Ibom) described the plot as unconstitutional and satanic. While condemning in strong terms the call for an interim government, they mandated the security agencies to be on alert to forestall any possible breakdown of law and order.

The lawmakers warned aggrieved parties to desist from heating the polity and believe in the rule of law while awaiting the outcome of litigation before the court of law.

Unyime had while moving the motion, said the House is aware that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, part 1, section 132, allows for change of leadership through the ballots. He said the House is also aware that the constitution allows for a four-year tenure of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after each election cycle.

The lawmaker noted that an interim government is undemocratic, unconstitutional and unknown to Nigeria’s laws as a court of competent jurisdiction had in times past so declare.

He expressed concern that if the plot is allowed to see the light of day, it will result in anarchy, with a price “many generations after we will continue to pay for”.He said: “Aware that the Judiciary is the only institution empowered by law to adjudicate over post-election matters. Concerned that 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, Hon. Sergius Ogun (Edo PDP), while frowning upon the call, opined that if the government is alive to its responsibilities, this should not even be an issue that the lawmakers will be dissipating energy on in the parliamentOgun said: “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 themYou’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.”