Go Beyond Raising Alarm, Arrest Those Behind Interim Govt Plot, Governors Tell DSS DG

The thirty- six state governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum have asked the Director General of Department of State Services, DSS Yusuf Bichi to immediately arrest and prosecute those it has identified to be planning to install an interim government rather than issuing statements and heating up the polity.

The governors who condemned any unconstitutional means of regime change, however, vowed to resist the such move, just as they assured their commitment to continue in the defence of Nigeria’s democracy as elected leaders.

In a Communique read yesterday by NGF Chairman and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal at the end of the 4th meeting of the governors, they warned the DSS against issuing statements without arrest as that amounts to heating the polity.

The governors while acknowledging that “the last election was not perfect”, however, said, “we will take advantage of the learning points to strengthen our democracy and electoral processes. The Forum also congratulated its members who were re-elected for a 2nd term in office.

According to the governors’ communique: “The Forum deliberated extensively on the alleged plot by some unscrupulous elements to install an interim government, as contained in the recent statement issued by the Department for State Services (DSS). Governors condemned in the strongest terms, any unconstitutional means of regime change and pledged their commitment to continue to defend Nigeria’s democracy as elected leaders.

“In addition, the Forum believes that issuing statements without arrests is akin to heating up the polity and causing unwarranted tension in the country. It called on the DSS to do its job by immediately arresting and prosecuting all those involved in the plot as a matter of urgency. It will be recalled that the DSS had on Wednesday confirmed rumours that a section of the political class was planning for an interim government.

A spokesman for the DSS, Dr Peter Afunanya in a statement said that the agency had identified some key players in the plot for an Interim Government in Nigeria but did not give the names of the masterminds.

The agency had said that the planners of the interim government had already held several meetings, during which they weighed many options to actualize their plot including sponsoring endless mass protests across Nigerian cities, securing a warrant to declare a state of emergency or a court injunction to stop the inauguration of the executive and the legislature at the federal and state levels.