By Ehichioya Ezomon
Things are happening – and moving in rapidity in the polity to bemuse ordinary Nigerians – since the conduct of the two-stage 2023 General Election on February 25 and March 18, respectively.
It’s not unusual – particularly in a presidential ballot – for those not declared winners and returned elected by the electoral umpire, to protest and call for its cancellation and conduct of a fresh franchise.
That’s why it wasn’t out of place for the some opposition parties and their candidates to lay siege to the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja and across the states, to rail against alleged manipulation of the poll, to deny them the voters’ mandate.
But it becomes problematic when losers are in court to “retrieve their stolen mandate,” storm the streets, make media rounds, and call for the election annulment, an Inerim Government or a Military upstage of the incoming government.
This is the pastime of the Obi-Datti ticket of Labour Party and their supporters since former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi came third in the February 25 poll that pollsters and prophets had predicted he’d win by a landslide.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of Peoples Democratic Party and former Lagos State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu of All Progressives Congress were in second and first place, accordingly.
Having satisfied the requirements of the law – by scoring the highest number of votes cast, and securing one-quarter (25%) of votes in not less than 24 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja – Tinubu was declared the winner and returned President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Obi-Datti campaign and Labour, and their supporters in the ObIdients Movement and backers have discredited the poll, called for its cancellation, annulment, and establishment of a civilian interim or Military government.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has alerted about moves by anti-democratic elements to seek to truncate the system by setting up an interim government.
The DSS in a statement by its spokesman, Dr Peter Afunanya, says that it “considers the plot, being pursued by these entrenched interests as not only an aberration but a mischievous way to set aside the Constitution and undermine civil rule as well as plunge the country into an avoidable crisis.”
“The illegality is totally unacceptable in a democracy and to peace loving Nigerians, even more so that the machination is taking place after the peaceful conduct of the elections in most parts of the country,” the DSS adds.
The spy agency relays the plotters’ modus operandi, noting that in their many meetings, “they have weighed various options, which include, among others, to sponsor endless violent mass protests in major cities to warrant a declaration of state of emergency.”
“Another is to obtain frivolous court injunctions to forestall the inauguration of new executive administrations and legislative houses at the federal and state levels.
The DSS says “it fully supports President Muhammadu Buhari in his avowed commitment to a hitch-free handover on May 29, 2023 and will work assiduously in that direction.”
“It also supports the Presidential Transition Council and such other related bodies in the states. We will collaborate with them and other security and law enforcement agencies to ensure seamless inauguration come May, 29, 2023.
“Consequently, the service strongly warns those organising to thwart democracy in the country to retract from their devious schemes and orchestrations.
“Stakeholders, notably judicial authorities, media and the civil society are enjoined to be watchful and cautious to avoid being used as instruments to subvert peace and stability of the nation.
“While its monitoring continues, the DSS will not hesitate to take decisive and necessary legal steps against these misguided elements to frustrate their obnoxious intentions,” the statement adds.
Exactly what Nigerians, including the 36 State Governors, Members of the National Assembly, Senior Lawyers, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Civil Society Organisations, Ethnic Nationalities and Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) have asked the DSS to do!
But while the APC and PDP have condemned the calls for an interim government and urged the DSS to expose, arrest and prosecute the alleged masterminds, Labour has urged the DSS to identify and punish those it says disrupted and manipulated the election.
It may be self-implicating for Labour to condemn and call for sanction against purveyors of an inerim government or a Military junta in the country.
When the ObIdients stormed the streets of Abuja, and marched to the Defence Headquarters, their sole message was the foisting of an illegal government on Nigeria.
On his media rounds lately, Labour’s Vice Presidential candidate, Sen. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed’s canvassed against inauguaration of President-elect Tinubu and his administration on May 29.
Baba-Ahmed said a Military takeover of power is preferable to President Buhari handing over to Tinubu as President of Nigeria.
Although Obi’s denied that, “at no time throughout the campaign and now did I ever say, think, or even imply that the 2023 election is, or was a religious war,” he’s failed to rein in his deputy and supporters in their shopping for an unelected government from May 29.
Nigerians may recall that during the poll cycle, Obi was quoted at religious and worship places to call on the Church and Christians to “take back your country.”
And it’s probably why Obi’s haunted when the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, flew into the United States, to counter negative reportage on the election allegedly at the behest and on behalf of the Nigerian oppostion.
In the process of his visits to major media organisations in the U.S., Mohammed levelled “treason” against Obi and his supporters.
Obi’s decried this in a statement: “The present attempts by the APC as a party, and the APC-led government through some government officials and agencies to divert our attention from our blatantly stolen mandate is unfortunate and sad.
“These have come and continued to manifest in different ways, such as the malicious accusation of the Minister of Information, Mr Lai Mohammed, the circulation of a fake doctored audio call, and pressure on me to leave the country.”
But could Mohammed’s gambit – and the DSS threats – prompt Obi to develop cold feet, and allege being pressured to go into exile?
Obi’s claims are a red herring that won’t fly because soon, we’ll hear of Obi being enticed with women or offered billions or trillions to drop his poll petition in court.
Obi has lost his mojo since the government challenge of the smear campaigns by opposition against the February and March elections, and the leak of the audio recording of his reported call to owner of Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, to assist him to fight alleged “religious war,” as Obi labels the presidential poll.
It took Obi days to appear on the scene, to denounce government for linking him to alleged treasonable activities, and debunk the audio call.
And when he did, it’s to blame the government and its officials, the APC, and impliedly President-elect Tinubu for the reported leak.
There’s something Obi’s hiding from the public, which makes him want to vote with his feet, perhaps to avoid ensnared by the laws.
Obi’s alleged distraction by the APC and its government with treasonable offence, and leak of his audio call with Bishop Oyedepo is a smokescreen for cover-up, and diversion from reality.
It’s the first time Nigerians would hear a presidential candidate, who claims to win an election – and is in court to “retrieve the stolen mandate” – wants to go into exile due to alleged pressure on him.
Who are those pressuring Obi to “japa”? Is it the APC, President-elect Tinubu, or the Buhari administration? What for? Is it due to the court process to regain his “stolen mandate”?
Obi needs to come clean with Nigerians who’ve stood by him this while!
Unless the forces pressuring him – which he’s reluctant or afraid to reveal are such that threaten his safety in Nigeria – Obi should stay behind and focus his commitment “to lawfully and peacefully retrieve the people’s ‘mandate,’ and secure and unite the nation.”
- Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
