Tinubu must be sworn-in on May 29 | We’ll stand to protect democracy — Arewa elders

A coalition of Arewa elders has cautioned those calling for
an interim government in the country to desist forthwith.

The elders’ position was contained in a communique read by
Suleiman Usman Jere, chairman of the coalition, at the end of a meeting on
Tuesday in Kaduna.

Last week, the Department of State Services (DSS) confirmed
a plot “by some key players” to install an interim government and stop Bola
Ahmed Tinubu from being inaugurated as president.

The group said those calling for an interim government
should be arrested and prosecuted.

They also accused Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the
Labour Party (LP), and Datti Baba-Ahmed, his running mate, of inciting the public
with their statements.

In March, Baba-Ahmed had said the country has no
president-elect and that Tinubu would be leading an unconstitutional government
if sworn into office because the APC candidate “has not met requirements of the
law”.

The Arewa elders alleged that the LP candidates were
exhibiting “anti-democratic tendencies” to trigger civil obedience.

 “We are calling on
all our security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities. It amounts to
treason for anybody to call for truncating our democracy by whatever guises, be
it Interim National Government let alone the call for a military coup.
Perpetrators must be arrested and be brought to book with immediate effect,”
the communique reads.

“Elections have been held and the winner has emerged. The
people of the north massively voted for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the
national interest.

‘’We are mindful of our voting and will stand firm to
protect our democracy. We remain committed to the May 29th swearing-in date in
line with Nigeria’s constitutional provisions.

“If it were to be military officers that have tried what He
(Peter Obi) has done, they would have been arrested, detained, and charged for
the coup and if found guilty, they would be sentenced to death. Why should the
case of civilians trying to truncate our democracy be different?

 “The Nigerian
constitution must prevail, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu must be sworn in on the
29th May 2023. We do not know anything called an Interim national government,
it has no basis and nobody has the statutory right to appoint any Interim
National Government for this country. We have a constitution and we must do
things by our constitution.’’