Nigerians Beware Of Calls For Interim Government Meant To Scuttle 2023 General Election

General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), the military head of state, handed up authority to an interim government, largely composed of civilians, on August 27, 1993, after serving as Nigeria’s president and military leader for eight years. Beneficiary of this hazy government that Babangida hastily put together before he went is the late Chief Ernest Shonekan.

Elder statesman and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), recently raised the possibility of an interim administration when he claimed that the 1999 Constitution puts the future of Nigeria in jeopardy. He claimed that holding another election in 2023 without a “people’s constitution” to replace the “foisted” 1999 Constitution would be perilous. Insisting that the current administration has failed in its duty to ensure that the welfare of Nigerians remains its primary purpose of existence, he called on the Muhammadu Buhari administration and the National Assembly to organize and put in place a temporary government that shall oversee the enactment of a new constitution.

He stated that the interim administration will be made up of individuals chosen by various professional associations, such as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), emphasizing that the new system will include all currently serving previous presidents, certain governors, and ministers.

Olusegun Obasanjo’s close friend Afe Babalola backed Babangida’s transitional administration. In light of Obasanjo’s renewed criticism of his former deputy and PDP presidential contender Atiku Abubakar, he makes a dubious allegation that he chose the wrong person. Is the old fox implying that he and his associates, whom Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation, identified as the real owners of Nigeria, are uneasy about Atiku and Bola Ahmed Tinubu becoming the front-runners for the position? These assertions, in my opinion, are not made in jest; rather, they have a specific goal in mind, particularly as Nigeria gets ready for its general election in 2023. The purpose of Afe Babalola’s position is to create misunderstanding because given that IBB’s interim was supported by a military order, it is unclear under what act or legislation his advice will depend.

The interim government was intended to prevent the crisis that would have resulted from the annulment of the election, but unfortunately it only made things worse by bringing about another five years of military rule under the late Sani Abacha, who used this time to attempt to succeed himself in office before his untimely death.

Pastor Chris Okotie, the founder of the Household of God Church, also stated that he intends to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 as an Interim President, acting as though he were performing from a script. He pleaded with each and every presidential candidate to drop out of the campaign and give him the chance to succeed Buhari.

Okotie, a candidate in previous presidential elections who was unsuccessful, claimed that Nigeria’s use of the presidential system of governance was ineffective.

“There is an imbalance in the nation and we are not practicing federalism, so we must transcend tribe and religion as well. We are actually using a presidential system of government. “Since 1999, things have gotten worse since our current presidential system of administration has failed us,” As a lawyer, he did not, however, go into detail about the legal foundation that would support his recommendation. Nigeria shouldn’t disregard the part played by late Arthur Nzeribe’s Association for Better Nigeria in voiding that country’s most successful election.

Due to the country’s unresolvable security issues, many Nigerians have doubts about the general election in 2023. The general elections scheduled for next year may not take place, according to Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). The Shiroro tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of 42 Nigerian troops and policemen at a mining site, the continued and escalating crime rate due to kidnapping, banditry, the Boko Haram insurgency, and ISWAP are sufficient grounds to impose an interim solution on Nigerians. I’m not a gloom and doom prophet, but there are warning indicators that Nigerians should be alarmed about. Nigeria cannot afford to be plunged into yet another catastrophe, thus we must put an end to those who are behind.

Nigerians Beware!!!