A socio-political group, Arewa New Agenda (ANA), has urged politicians challenging the outcome of the 2023 presidential election to seek redress in court instead of trying to incite people to violence.
The group’s spokesman Senator Ahmad MoAllahyidi said this while addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja. He warned against calling for any change of government that is alien to Nigeria’s constitution
According to him, the presidential election was conducted peacefully and a winner was declared accordingly, making the talks for interim government unpatriotic and uncalled for.
ANA lamented that at a time when the need for national healing and unity is being promoted, some unscrupulous elements are resorting to illegalities just because they lost an election.
“We recall that on the 29th of March 2023, the Department of State Services (DSS) said it had identified some key players planning for an interim government in the country.
“The agency believed those identified behind the plot were planning to instigate violence through attacks and protests as well as court injunctions im a desperate effort to stop the inauguration of a new government.
“They are thinking of the 1993 scenario where an interim government was sworn in for some months.”
MoAllahyidi howevet said the interim government plotters had failed to see the differences between the two elections. “The 1993 election was not concluded, unlike the 2023 election where a winner was declared and issued with a certificate of return by the electoral body. In this case therefore, the talk of an interim government does not even arise.”
He said the only thing remaining is for those with grievances to go to court, not take the laws into their hands.
“Since 2011, there has never been any election that has been as credible and peaceful like this last one. The results reflected the majority will of the people,” MoAllahyidi said
He accused the opposition parties of double standards, saying that, to them, election is credible where they win and fraudulent where they lose.
“There are many examples of how election results were challenged in courts in Nigeria. The only election that was not challenged is the one of 2015, where change of government took place smoothly. So whoeverr is aggrieved shoild seek redress in court,” he said
