In front of the May 29 handover, the Safeguard Central command on Monday promised to oppose whatever would shorten a majority rules system.
In an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, Director of Defence Information, made this statement just as Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya warned the Indigenous People of Biafra, Eastern Security Network, and other fringe groups not to test the military’s will.
He stated that the military’s determination to ensure nationwide security was demonstrated by the general elections’ peaceful conduct despite the unrest caused by banned groups.
The military spoke against the backdrop of the country’s pre-election security crisis and recent agitation for an interim national government by groups dissatisfied with Bola Tinubu’s victory in the presidential election for the All Progressives Congress.
Refering to the viciousness and different misbehaviors that purportedly portrayed the surveys, the gatherings were demanding that Tinubu ought not be confirmed on May 29, taking note of that a break government ought to be set up all things considered.
In response to the commotion, the Department of State Services informed the nation of a scheme by unidentified politicians to halt the transition and appoint an interim government.
The plotters were warned not to create any problems for the country, and the secret police said it was keeping an eye on them.
The defense spokesman responded, “We are ready to protect democracy,” in response to additional inquiries regarding the military’s willingness to work with the DSS to foil the plans of the ING plotters who had been identified. This has been repeatedly stated by the CDS, or Chief of the Defense Staff. We will do nothing that would shorten a vote based system in the country.”
In his own speech to the attendees of the Chief of Army Staff First Quarter Conference held at the Command Officers’ Mess in Abuja, the chief of the army said that no one should try to stifle democracy in Nigeria or undermine Nigeria’s integrity.
The army chief said, “Despite the sense of insecurity created by criminal elements in the region, the peaceful conduct of the 2023 general elections across the country, including in the South-East, is a testament to our resolve to ensure security in the entire nation.”
“Let me state here that, whether or not there are elections, neither the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Eastern Security Network (ESN), nor any other group, group, or individual should threaten the integrity of this nation as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
In addition, the COAS praised the army for adhering to the guidelines and putting the decisions made at the 2022 conference into action, citing the army’s “professional conduct and apolitical disposition during the just concluded general elections” as evidence.
Your complete adherence to my instructions and instructions in this regard is highly commendable. The endeavors by the Military Central command to circumvent developments to convey addresses on thoughtfulness of previous encounters and endeavors at further developing NA backing to activity safe lead 2023 are additionally noted to have yielded wanted results.
“It gives me great pride to say that a number of distinguished individuals and organizations have praised our troops’ efforts during the 2023 general elections.
As a result, elections were held successfully in the Southeast as well as other regions of the country. For the most part, our tasks and unequivocal activities against the criminal components have affected decidedly the security circumstance in the locale, giving certainty to reputable residents in the South-East.
“A testament to our resolve to ensure security throughout the nation is the peaceful conduct of general elections across the country, including in the South East, despite the sense of insecurity created by criminal elements in the region.”
“This was made possible through the successful conduct of ‘Operation Safe Conduct 2023’ across the nation, which saw the Nigerian Army along with the other Services and Agencies ensuring successful general elections,” the COAS stated, highlighting the various operations and inter-service activities that helped bring the security crisis under control.
“Despite the fact that IPOB/ESN and their supporters had threatened that there would be no elections in the Zone long before the actual elections, our additional efforts through Joint Task Force “Operation Udoka” paid off in the South-East, ensuring that the elections in the region would also be successful.
“As a result, elections were held successfully in the South-East as well as in other parts of the country.”
As of the time this report was completed on Monday at 10 p.m., attempts to obtain IPOB’s response were unsuccessful.
Retired Brigadier General Bashir Adewinbi maintained that the country lacked the foundation for such an arrangement when he addressed the demand for an interim government.
He said, “Decisions have traveled every which way and a victor has been pronounced. An ING serves no purpose and has no foundation. Those plotting are attempting to separate the country. We do not want the nation to be divided. The personnel working in security ought to rise to the occasion. Is ING incorporated into the law? The country’s democratic system of government should never be abolished. Everyone who has been wronged ought to go to court.
Also, Colonel According to retired Hassan Stan-Labo, the country could not have an interim government without the support of the current president.
Stan-Labo argued that it had the support of the government at the time, making reference to Chief Ernest Shonekan, the former leader of ING.
He expressed, “Might there be any ING without the occupant government being in the loop? Who would handle the sworn-in ceremony? Who would be in charge of all the paperwork? So when individuals discuss the interval government, they do as though something can simply rise out of no place. Something should include the sitting government. Since the government must be aware of ING, it is not a coup.
A new development is that some Nigerians protested the outcome of the presidential election on February 25 in front of the White House in the United States on Monday.
The protesters were captured in social media videos waving placards with a variety of messages, including “Nigerians reject presidential election result,” “Democracy under threat in Nigeria,” and “Africa needs help to save democracy across the continent.”
A man who has not yet been identified spoke to the approximately 100 protesters and said that the presidential election was “a crime against humanity, and I think the United States should never stand for this.”