Areas Youths Issue Stern Warning Over Calls For Interim Government

By - LagosCityReporters 1 April 2023 Comments (0) 4 Mins Read

Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has lambasted some political elements plotting to truncate the May 29 handover by installing a National Interim Government.

Some political bigwigs who were not satisfied with the outcome of the February 25 presidential poll, have reportedly vowed that the president-elect, Bola Tinubu would not be sworn-in as the country’s next president come May 29.

There has been a series of protests in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja with a call for the cancellation of the poll which they alleged was rigged in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Recall also that the Department of State Services, DSS, on Wednesday raised the alarm over an alleged plot to create an Interim Government, saying it has identified some key players in the plot.

The secret police said the plot for an interim government was aimed at setting aside the constitution and undermining civil rule, as well as plunge the country into an avoidable crisis.

The security alert by the DSS has continued to generate reactions across the country as supporters of the ruling party and the president-elect vowed to thwart the plot, insisting that the former Lagos Governor must be sworn-in on May 29 as contained in the country’s constitution.

Speaking on the matter, the National President of AYCF, Yerima Shettima said the plot would only amount to effort in futility.

According to him, some Nigerians paid huge sacrifices, even supreme price for the current democracy, stressing that those calling for Interim Government were ignorant of the repercussions.

He said, “Often, when I hear people talk about an interim government, I see them as dreamers living on the figment of their imagination, which is an expensive joke.

“We dare those proponents of interim government, again and again, to try rubbish and see what will happen. These are people that can best be described as enemies of democracy. Some of us are not finding this language funny.

“I remember vividly in the 90s when we were very young in the struggle; when we were in the trenches with senior comrades such as Gani Fawehinmi, Anthony Enahoro, Wole Soyinka, and the rest of them. I remember vividly that that illegality happened but by then we were not strong enough to do anything. But today, we dare those characters.

“Let them try it after all our sacrifices for democracy. This is because those calling for an interim government have not made any sacrifice for democracy. They have not paid any dues and have not been in the trenches. They only saw themselves in the corridors of power by mere opportunity. They have not made a single sacrifice.

“But some of us who were in the trenches at the time of the dark days of the military, and suffered a lot of incarceration in the hands of one military dictator to another won’t allow such to happen. As a matter of fact, we lost some of our comrades to the struggle because we yearned for democracy.

“I also remember that some of our comrades were jailed and to date, their lives cannot be the same. Only a few of us are opportune to stay strong to date to give the story of what happened during those dark days.

“And if anybody just wakes up from his hangover to talk about interim government, God will not forgive that person. We are waiting, we are determined.

“Let us wait and see what will happen between now and May 29. Let them not hand over power to the president-elect and see what will happen. We will occupy this country. They have never seen what they will see this time around.

“Let them not joke with us. We are determined and willing to ensure that democracy has come to stay in this country. Nobody can undermine this democracy. We will not allow those enemies to succeed.