As the polity gets heated by alleged moves uncovered by the Department of State Security Service, DSS, last week, a stalwart of Labour Party, LP, and Founder, One Love Foundation, OLF, Chief Patrick Eholor, weekend, cautioned and challenged some politicians not to use Interim Government to settle political scores.
Eholor who also is the Director of Contact and Mobilization of the Diaspora of Labour Party, made his view known in a chat with Vanguard about moves for an interim government by some persons in order to scuttle swearing in of the President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as winner of the February 25 presidential election declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ahead of May 29.
He described the move for an interim government by some politicians and their sponsors as very wrong and condemned it, because it is inciting and an invitation to anarchy and bloodshed.
He said: “I am not in support of an Interim Government and I don’t see it to be in the interest of Nigerians, the Interim Government will only cause Chaos and Anarchy to destabilize our democracy.
“I envisage bloody protest and crisis from the call for an Interim Government, Just like what happened during the #EndSARS protest when it was hijacked by some miscreant opposition at the end of the day it became bloody the same thing will likely happen because political parties are involved and they’re fighting against the will of the people.
“It is very wrong to call for an Interim Government especially in a yet-to-developed country like Nigeria, it is best to use the legal system, so on this I am calling on DSS to keep on with what they are doing by arresting and prosecuting those behind this move.”
However, he urged Nigerians to vehemently resist it as it is inimical to Nigeria’s hard earned democracy and called President Muhammadu Buhari, to address Nigerians via live broadcast to douse tension.
“We are already in the situation, the best thing to do at this time to avert any move that will truncate Nigeria’s democracy is to first call for calmness, I am expecting by now that the sitting President will come on air via a telecast after the election to give some hope to Nigerians and then encourage everyone to be law abiding but the President till this moment is silent about the whole issue and have not utter any word,” he stated.
Meanwhile, he (Eholor) tasked DSS on arresting and prosecuting those they said are behind the plot.
“The DSS should investigate, arrest and prosecute anyone trying to make some funny move on Nigeria’s democracy, and Nigerians should stop spreading fake news, do not share until you are sure of it.
“My counsel to them should go as follows, security agencies should be well guided, and the heads of various security departments should ensure that they don’t conform when they are compromised.
“The political parties should strictly warn their members and followers to remain calm and be law abiding, should political parties have grievances they should channel it to the judiciary system.
“To Nigerians, especially the youth, a better Nigeria lies in their hands and as such they must not be violent about it. They must ensure that they are not being used by one or any of the political parties, those in power their families live abroad and not here with them, so why risk it all for just a penny that won’t sustain forever, and I call for calmness and unity. Let us have hope in the judiciary.”
However, he accused INEC of not meeting expectations of Nigerians generally, hence the issue of an interim government would not have arisen, he said, “If INEC had done the right thing before and during the election the people won’t have bothered to call for an Interim Government. I will always blame INEC for this because clearly they are already compromised. Well we all await the court as proceedings goes on.”
LP chieftain calls for arrest, prosecution of Interim Govt agitators
