Nigeria’s secret police, the State Security Services (SSS), on Wednesday announced that some key players are plotting an unconstitutional interim government for Nigeria, confirming an alarm that had been raised weeks before the general elections.

The agency said it considers the plot as an “aberration and a mischievous” way to set aside the constitution and undermine civil rule as well as plunge the country into an avoidable crisis.

A statement by the SSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, said the planners, in their many meetings, have weighed various options, which include, among others, sponsoring endless violent mass protests in major cities to warrant a declaration of State of Emergency.

“Another is to obtain frivolous court injunctions to forestall the inauguration of new executive administrations and legislative houses at the Federal and State levels,” Afunanya said, adding, the “illegality is totally unacceptable in a democracy and to the peace-loving Nigerians.”

The statement is coming barely a month after the 25 February presidential election that produced Bola Tinubu as Nigeria’s next leader. Tinubu was the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Major opposition parties in the polls have refused to concede defeat, and the two closest contestants have launched a formal challenge of the results in court. Tinubu, 71, scored 8,794,726 votes, the highest of all the candidates. His closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), scored 6,984,520 votes to emerge second in the election while Labour Party’s Peter Obi got a total of 6,101,533.

Atiku has called the result “a rape of democracy” after getting 29 per cent of the votes and Obi, who got 25 per cent, told supporters they had been “robbed” of victory, and said the election is “worst in Nigeria’s recent history.”

An interim government would prevent Mr Tinubu from being inaugurated as president on May 29 as constitutionally expected.

In its statement, the SSS warned those organising to thwart democracy in the country to retract from their schemes and orchestrations.

It urged stakeholders including the judiciary, media and civil society to be watchful and cautious to avoid being used as instruments to subvert the peace and stability of the nation.

While its monitoring continues, the SSS said it will not hesitate to take decisive and necessary legal steps against persons with such intentions.

The agency said it “supports the President and Commander-in-Chief in his avowed commitment to a hitch-free handover and will assiduously work in this direction. It also supports the Presidential Transition Council and such other related bodies in the States.”

PT