Ministerial aides condemn calls for interim govt. by Bisi Olaniyi

March 28, 2023 Many aides to Ministers under the aegis of the Network of Ministerial Aides (NETMA) have condemned the calls for an interim government. They said the calls against the inauguration of President-Elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for an Interim Government were condemnable and treasonable. The aides accused the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, of inciting Nigerians, particularly the youths, for a repeat of #EndSARS protests. NETMA, in an online statement by its leader, Dr. Philip Ugbodaga, declared that it was absurd for Atiku and Obi to claim they won the presidential election and incite Nigerians through massive protests while being in court. The aides said: “We note with grave concern, the current orchestrated actions of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi, in attempting to subject our democratic institutions to ridicule and opprobrium. “High-profile elections in which the processes and results were brutally questioned, such as in Kenya, Venezuela and Myanmar have often fueled instability and distrust among the major ethnic groups. “In a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country like ours, allowing the present situation to fester, after the announcement of the winner of the presidential election, is not only antithetical to democratic consolidation, but to the peaceful transfer of power from the present administration to the incoming one. “The actions of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi are jeopardising the integrity of the 2023 elections. We are particularly troubled that young, impressionable and innocent young people and some non-discerning adults are going along with Obi/Atiku post-election rhetoric and incendiary remarks.” NETMA’s members also stated that Atiku, Obi and their supporters were attempting to delegitimise the nation’s democracy through their unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud. They said: “Their (Atiku and Obi’s) action is one more step in delegitimising not just the incoming Asiwaju/Shettima administration, but Nigerian democracy generally. We consider this to be a dangerous path to thread. “Their consistent statements and remarks in their staged-managed protests and media interviews are laced with misleading statements and outright falsehoods, which amount to an assault on the democratic process which has been running without interruptions since 1999. “With a fragile polity such as ours, it is our fear that their current actions have the potential of pouring fuel into our democracy, which may be ignited as soon a match is lit. They are also preparing to strike the match any moment from now. “It is the height of absurdity for anyone to suggest the formation of an interim government in Nigeria, which Atiku, Obi and their supporters are clamouring for. Such a call has no place in our constitution and even common sense. No lover of Nigeria should call for the formation of an interim administration, simply because an opposition party failed to win the general election.” The aides also wondered why the presidential candidates of PDP and LP were not calling for the formation of interim administrations in the States where their parties won. Members of NETMA condemned the attempts by Atiku and Obi to demarket the President-elect (Tinubu), while urging them to continue to pursue their petitions in court.