Afenifere rejects ING, insists on May 29 hand over of power
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
There is no need for an interim national government (ING) and power should be handed over to elected officials on May 29, says Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political organisation.
The Directorate of State Services (DSS) last week alleged a plot by some elements to prevent the inauguration.
A statement issued by Afenifere National Publicity Secretary Jare Ajayi expressed concern in the organisation that the plot seems to be gaining currency in and outside Nigeria.
He cited attempts to rubbish the result of the presidential election, calls for an ING, and protests especially in Abuja and the United States against the result.
“The disruption will affect all other tiers of government, as well as governors at the state level, the legislatures at the national and state levels and perhaps the local government areas,” Ajayi warned.
“There is therefore the need to exercise a lot of caution. The laws of the land created avenues to seek redress when we are aggrieved. We enjoin those who may not be satisfied with the outcome of the concluded elections to seek redress through the established channels and not through any other means.
“It is also important to let members of the public realise that anything short of following due process, particularly in the swearing-in of winners of the just concluded elections, constitutes grave dangers for the country. This must not be accepted or encouraged at all because of its dire consequences.”
Afenifere urged the judiciary not to entertain cases that “may be brought to derail the hard-earned civil rule and thus scuttle our democracy.”
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Consequences of an interim government
“The successful conclusion of a general election this year has provided the country with another opportunity to re-invent itself,” Afenifere stressed, according to reporting by Vanguard.
“We believe that the government that will be formed at the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration on May 29 will open new (positive) vistas for the country.
“The new government, a product of the process created by the Nigerian Constitution i.e. electoral process, elicits hope of a new lease because of the acrimonious air and near despondence in the land.
“As for those who are pushing for an Interim Government, this should not be allowed to happen because it is alien to our law books and also because we have had an experience of it in the past.
“Not only was the experience unpleasant, but it was also retrogressive. It is a path we should not tread again for any reason; especially since there is no basis for it whatsoever.
“Given the setbacks the contraption of Interim Government always brings, it is important to let its advocates know that it is an ill wind that blows no one any good.
“Those of them, who, simply because they were uncomfortable with the result of the February 25 Presidential election, want the baby to be thrown away with the bath-water.
“Ordinarily, it could be said that the allegation of steps capable of jeopardising the handing over to the President-elect on May 29th is unreal. Doing so, however, would be playing the ostrich going by the confirmation by the DSS, and opinions expressed against it.”