*Says those with such agitations are bad losers
By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
Arewa New Agenda (ANA) has called on politicians to seek redress in court if they are not satisfied with the outcome of the just concluded 2023 presidential election, instead of agitating for coup or interim government.
The Convener of ANA, Senator Ahmad Abubakar MoAllahyidi while addressing journalists on Wednesday, warned against the plot to install interim government in the country.
He said that the last presidential election was peaceful and a candidate was declared winner, hence, there is no need for the call to install interim government.
“ANA is concerned that at this critical period the nation needs healing, more social cohesion, social re-engineering and reconciliation to get back to normality, some elements are allegedly setting up roadblocks to unity and peaceful coexistence.
“We may recall that on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) issued a statement that it had identified “some key players” involved in an alleged plot for an interim government in Nigeria.
“According to the security agency, the alleged plotters plan to sponsor series of “violent” protests and obtain “frivolous court injunctions” to truncate the swearing in of new governments at federal and state levels.
“We may recall that Nigeria in 1993 was subjected to an interim national government that lasted for a couple of months of high tension and uncertainty. Thirty years on, talks of interim government are raring their head again for no good reasons.
“For no good reasons because happenings and the situation of 1993 that led to the interim government then are completely different from the nation’s situation and happenings in 2023″, he said.
He further said that the election in 1993 was declared inconclusive by the electoral body that conducted it, while the 2023 presidential election has produced a winner and INEC, the electoral body that conducted the election has declared and even issued a certificate of return to the declared winner, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Where then is the place for an interim government? The only option left for anyone aggrieved by the result of the election is to go to court – a remedy aggrieved parties are already resorting to. Where then does interim government come in?
“The 2023 presidential election was not characterized by violence and malpractices that would warrant calling for coup or interim government.
“Any flaw of the election is one capable of legal redress in our courts and this is where aggrieved parties should channel their grievances instead of raising national tensions with talks of coup and interim government.
“This is one election since 2011, in which there was least violence, killing and arson. The outcome of the election is largely a reflection of the popular will of Nigerian electorate,” MoAllahyidi submitted.
He said that ANA is constrained to say that some people are bad losers. He said for such people, wherever they lost, the election was rigged, but wherever they win, it was free and fair.
“It is important we remind Nigerians that only on one occasion has a Nigerian presidential election escaped being challenged in the courts. Ironically, that was the 2015 election that delivered Nigeria’s only opposition victory and change of power between political parties at the federal level.
“Steep in the culture of not accepting defeat honourably, Nigerian politicians challenging the result of the 25 February 2023 presidential and national assembly polls the way they are currently doing is the common practice and not the exception.
“The Nigerian Constitution envisages disputes over election results and made robust and adequate provisions for aggrieved parties to ventilate their grievances over election outcomes in court.
“Aggrieved politicians who have taken their grievances to court or are preparing to do so are following the laudable constitutional path of ventilating grievances.
“Those seeking to disrupt the constitutional order and transition schedule as alleged by the DSS are enemies of public good toeing the path of conflict.
“We call on them to retrace their steps and embrace the constitutional and lawful means of addressing election disputes”, he added.
