The Department of State Services (DSS) has disclosed that it has confirmed a plot by “some key players” to prevent the inauguration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president of Nigeria.
According to the DSS, the plot involves the installation of an interim government and violent protests nationwide to engineer the declaration of a state of emergency, as well as securing frivolous court injunctions to stall the inauguration.
In a statement on Wednesday, Peter Afunanya, the public relations officer of the DSS, said that the agency had identified some key players in the plot for an interim government in Nigeria.
He described the plot as not only an aberration but a mischievous way to set aside the constitution and undermine civil rule, plunging the country into an avoidable crisis.
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“The illegality is totally unacceptable in a democracy and to peace-loving Nigerians. This is even more so that the machination is taking place after the peaceful conduct of the elections in most parts of the country,” he said.
Afunanya also disclosed that the political actors have had several meetings where they were planning to sponsor violent protests in major cities in the country, which would lead to a declaration of a State of Emergency.
“The planners, in their many meetings, have weighed various options, which include, among others, to sponsor 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,” he said.
The DSS spokesperson further stated that the agency fully supports the President and Commander-in-Chief in his avowed commitment to a hitch-free handover and will assiduously work in this direction.
He also pledged the agency’s support for the Presidential Transition Council and other related bodies in the states, collaborating with them and sister security and law enforcement agencies to ensure seamless inaugurations come May 29, 2023.
However, he warned those organizing to thwart democracy in the country to retract from their devious schemes and orchestrations.
He also enjoined stakeholders, notably judicial authorities, media, and the Civil Society, to be watchful and cautious to avoid being used as instruments to subvert the peace and stability of the nation.
While monitoring continues, the DSS will not hesitate to take decisive and necessary legal steps against these misguided elements to frustrate their obnoxious intentions, Afunanya added.
