May 29 Handover Date Sacrosanct, Says APC Chieftain

A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Chief Jide Awe, has described plot by some Nigerians to foist interim government on Nigerians as a dangerous plan that must be resisted.

The former APC Chairman in the state, who branded those behind the illegal plot as enemies of Nigeria said “the federal government should be at alert, that  May 29 is sacrosanct and has entered the anals of our political history as a nation and it should not be toyed with.’’

Speaking with LEADERSHIP in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, at the weekend, Awe who is the special adviser to the governor on Political and Inter-party Affairs, however, said the plan has died from conception since it has been uncovered by the Department of State Services (DSS).

He said, “It was a very disastrous plan but I know it has failed from inception. Because our democracy has reached a level that it will be very, very impossible for such an idea to come up again.

“This country belongs to all of us and there is no cabal somewhere that will sit down and truncate the system we have packaged over the years , since 1999. I believe those who have such thoughts should perish with it.

“If you have contested an election and lost, you have to go and prepare for another day, that doesn’t mean the end of the world.”

those having that thought are enemies of this country and we will not allow them to carry out their sinister plot, it won’t happen since it has been leaked”.

On the reason for the plot, he posited that those behind it were not comfortable with the smooth conduct of the  electoral process.

“It looks like a dream to them that a presidential election could be conducted seamlessly without much physical problems and they are not aware of the enormity of support that democracy has  garnered over the years.

“You don’t  truncate such an arrangement that has been well packaged simply because you are not part of the success. Those who are part of the success far outnumbered those who are not in support. It might be that they have a commitment somewhere and that commitment is not that of the generality of Nigerians who are in the majority.”

Awe added that one cannot also rule out the fact that the plot is targeted at President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu saying “They knew that he is a democrat par excellence and he has been doing a lot.”

He continued, “There is no way those who have dealt terribly blows on the economy, social and political  life of this country will not be jittery that Tinubu is coming on board because they know he has a lot to offer and they are not comfortable with him. But the massive support he received in the last election is enough to tell them that they shouldn’t try anything funny.”

The APC who commended the Department of State Services (DSS) for their prompt action said “It means they are on top of their job and creditably well too”.

While advising Nigerians to be vigilant at this point in time he said, “Eternal vigilance, they say is the price of freedom. This is not a matter for the security agencies alone, it is a matter for each and everyone of us.

“The security agents are doing their best and they should continue in that manner. Then the dramatic personnel, not the President-elect alone, even the outgoing President.

“Security should be energized in and around wherever activities are going to take place and Nigerians as a whole, should be vigilant. This is the freedom we have been yearning for and should not be allowed to be truncated.”