ACF charges Nigerian govt to prosecute interim govt plotters for treason

Dr. Mohammed Ghali-Alaaya, a leader of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to detain and prosecute anyone found in Nigeria supporting interim administration under whatever pretext.

The Department of State Services (DSS) recently revealed the purported plot by a few influential individuals to impose an interim government on the nation and prevent the May 29 inauguration of President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President of Nigeria.

The call was made on Saturday by Ghali-Alaaya, the chairman of the ACF’s Kwara State branch, in remarks to journalists at the Kwara State Television Authority’s annual weekend Ramadan lecture, which was held in the state capital of Ilorin.

Given that Tinubu had been chosen to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, he condemned the proposal for an interim government as the height of unpatriotism and an act of treason.

Considering that Buhari, who will step down from office next month, is from the North, he pointed out that the actualized attempt by Northern governors to ensure that power goes to the South was primarily intended to stabilise the country’s unity.

Ghali-Alaaya said: “The Nothern governors, when they spoke, they did so, bearing in mind that, the trouble and expectation of this country is so clear; that governance must shift from the North to the South. That is not far-fetched. There have been insinuations that Nigeria will break up and everybody is afraid in the country.

“That decision (power shift) was made purely on a very good platform. They (governors) had a very good intention and everybody fell in love with that decision. We have seen that since 2019, and you can see the preparation of the people, including those in the diaspora. Every stakeholder in this country wanted the governance to shift from the North to the South, so that, this country will remain.

“It is very fortunate that in the beginning of the elections, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu won in the primary. It is marvellous and a clean slate which was unexpected. I think everybody should be convinced that when the real election came, this man (Tinubu) won convincingly, and most of the votes he garnered were even from the North.

“It is very surprising that anybody will contest elections and win in other regions other than his own, to that extent, so comfortably.

“Nigerians have spoken, and we have done so loudly. It is so sad for anybody now to say that anyway, anybody, however highly placed found advocating or supporting any interim government in any guise will be met with very stiff opposition. Anybody who does that should be arrested and prosecuted for treason because this is the height of unpatrotism for the country.”