The Presidency yesterday, said, it was ready to ruffle unruly feathers as the opposition claimed that rumours of plot to remove President Muhammadu Buhari from office through undemocratic means are attempts to blackmail Nigerians and distract them from the ruling government’s below par performance.
President Muhammadu Buhari
Elsewhere, the military, dissociated itself from such anti-democratic utterance and position and pledged loyalty to the President.
Also, Primate Elijah Ayodele, leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, assured that no form of coup will oust the President from power, because God endorsed democracy of Nigeria.
And Femi Adesina, special adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, expressed the federal government’s readiness to thwart such moves by ruffling some unruly feathers in the process.
In what appears a major doubling down on a statement by the Department of State Services (DSS), alleging sinister moves by misguided elements to wreak havoc on the government, sovereignty and corporate existence of the country; the presidency in statement, said available evidence indicated that some disgruntled religious and past political leaders are poised to throw the country into a tailspin, which would compel a forceful and undemocratic change of leadership.
According to the statement, further proof showed that the disruptive elements are now recruiting the leadership of some ethnic groups and politicians round the country, with the intention of convening some sort of conference, where a vote of no confidence would be passed on the president, thus throwing the land into further turmoil.
“The caterwauling, in recent times, by these elements, is to prepare the grounds adequately for their ignoble intentions, which are designed to cause further grief for the country. The agent provocateurs hope to achieve through artifice and sleight of hands, what they failed to do through the ballot box in the 2019 elections,” it said.
The Presidency emphasised that Nigerians have opted for democratic rule since 1999, adding that the only accepted way to change a democratically elected government is through elections, “which hold at prescribed times in the country as any other way is patently illegal, and even treasonable. Of course, such would attract the necessary consequences”.
It also accused external forces of collaborating with the mischievous individuals and groups to cause crisis in the country and warned that it will not take kindly to such move.
“These discredited individuals and groups are also in cahoots with external forces to cause maximum damage in their own country. But the Presidency, already vested with mandate and authority by Nigerians till 2023, pledges to keep the country together, even if some unruly feathers would be ruffled in the process,” the release added.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the major opposition party described the allegation by the Presidencyas a resort to blackmail in the face of failure.
In a statement on Tuesday signed by Kola Ologbondiyan, national publicity secretary, PDP said that the Buhari government and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) should live up to the responsibilities of office rather than “engage in frivolous allegations against Nigerians”.
The statement was titled, ‘You’re Haunted By Your Own Shadows, PDP Tells Buhari Presidency, APC’.
It partly read, “It is however imperative to state that the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress are being haunted by their own shadows as Nigerians know the persons as well as the political party with the history and penchant to scuttle democratically elected government.
“Perhaps, the Presidency has forgotten that in 1983, Brigadier Muhammadu Buhari, as he was then known, led a military coup to truncate a democratically elected government thereby causing our nation a huge drawback on democratic governance.
Also, the military, stated categorically that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remain fully committed to the present Administration and all associated democratic institutions.
In a release by brigadier general, Onyema Nwachukwu, acting director defence information, said that “We shall continue to remain apolitical, subordinate to the Civil Authority, firmly loyal to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Mohammadu Buhari and the 1999 Constitution as Amended”
Reacting, Primate Ayodele, said though the administration will continue to experience imbalance, economic hardship, protest, insecurity, there will be no coup.
“The Presidency should not be afraid of any form of coup, there will be no coup. Nobody can overthrow the government though the administration will be marred by anarchy, destruction, and confusion.
“The presidency should put their head on their pillow and sleep, no coup can happen in Nigeria now even though economic hardship, protest, will continue. As long as the government fails to work on insecurity in the country but they should not think of coup, it can’t be successful’’
“God is more powerful than humans, I’m not against the government but I say what God tells me, if the government continues like this, there will be so much imbalance, and they won’t get things right unless they listen to the masses and solve the problem we are facing.”
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