Presidential-elect Bola Tinubu
By Philip Ibitoye
On Wednesday, the Department of State Services (DSS) released a widely circulated statement, saying it has identified some key players in the plot for an Interim Government in Nigeria.
The statement essentially confirmed some mischievous speculations on social media that an interim administration would be in place until the Supreme Court decides the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
Curiously, the DSS failed to reveal whether it had made arrests even though the agency claimed that it had “identified some key players.” The secret police were deservedly criticised on social media for parroting the talking points of disgruntled politicians. No, Nigerians do not need the DSS to tell them there is a problem; they want the agency to solve the problem because it is their duty.
The DSS must move beyond “confirming” social media rumours and start arresting undemocratic agents planning to scuttle a democratic election. Instead of creating confusion by fueling an unfounded rumour, the DSS should start acting like the intelligence agency it is by nipping any crisis in the bud.
What is the basis for an Interim Government? None.
In the early hours of Wednesday, March 1, 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, at the collation centre for the 2023 presidential election
He polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat his opponents; Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 6,984,520 votes and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, who had 6,101,533 votes.
Atiku and Obi have since rejected the outcome and exercised their rights to appeal at the tribunal. They contend that INEC was wrong to declare Tinubu as the president-elect, but that is for the courts to decide.
With the assumption that the courts will not make a final decision until after May 29, 2023, there is no law stopping President-elect Tinubu from being sworn in as the democratically elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the time stipulated by the constitution.
Recently, the LP vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, in a television interview, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to hold off on the inauguration of President-elect Tinubu. This reckless suggestion is alien to the law because the 2023 election cycle is not the first time opposition parties will disagree with the outcome of polls. Hence, it is willful mischief to want this time to be different by delaying the president-elect’s inauguration.
INEC, being the only authority empowered by the Nigerian constitution, has made a declaration. Therefore, the law must be strictly followed by inaugurating the president-elect on May 29, 2023. Disgruntled parties must wait to exhaust the judicial process—the only lawful option available to them.
Finally, the rule of law must prevail on May 29, 2023. There must be no Interim Government. President-elect Tinubu must be sworn in to uphold the rule of law. Thankfully, President Muhammadu Buhari agrees with this reality, according to multiple statements by his media advisers. Enough of this nonsense about an Interim Government!
Philip Ibitoye writes for Eko Hot Blog. This media platform reserves all rights to this article.
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