Few hours ago, the Department of State Services (DSS) claimed to have identified some political actors involved in a plot to install an interim government. According to the statement signed by Peter Afunanya, the spokesperson of the Spy Agency, the plot is “not only an aberration but a mischievous way to set aside the constitution and undermine civil rule as well as plunge the country into an avoidable crises”. The Service identified “endless violent mass protests in major cities” and “frivolous court injunctions to forestall the inauguration of the new executive administrations…..” as the two means through which the unnamed politicians planned to achieve their aim.
Before we even analyze the DSS statement, let us pretend there is indeed such a plot as alleged herein. The next logical question would be;
Since the DSS claimed to have identified such people, why is the agency issuing statement like a gossip blog and creating more tension in an already tensed country instead of simply arresting and prosecuting the identified individual in a court of law?
In what part of the world does a topmost Intelligence Agency claim to have uncovered a plot to truncate civil rule and install an interim government (a euphemism for COUP DETA’T, If we are being specific) as well as those behind such plot but rather than swing into action, the agency simply takes to its social media handle to start issuing statement???
The only reason any Intelligence Agency would do this is if the Agency is making up the story as a cover for them to clamp down on opposition politicians and their supporters to make way for the inauguration of a man foisted on the country by the electoral commission. A betting man would bet that this is the case here and as it happens, I Charles Ogbu, am a betting man.
I make bold to say that this is nothing but an attempt by the DSS to create an excuse to gag Nigerians in the name of protecting national security.
By specifically mentioning protests as one of the means through which the unnamed politicians want to achieve their Interim government aim, the DSS is simply creating a fake excuse to ban Nigerians from challenging the February 25th electoral genocide through street protests which is our fundamental right. With their reference to what they call “frivolous court injunctions to forestall the inauguration of new executive administrations” of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the DSS is simply showing itself as the real enemy of our democracy.
Is it the job of the DSS to determine which court injunction is frivolous????
If politicians are able to convince a court of law to grant an injunction against Tinubu’s inauguration, why should this bother the DSS??
Why should the number1 national Intelligence Agency in the country descend on the political arena in this brazenly blatant manner?
Is this an attempt by the DSS to intimidate the judiciary against discharging their duty as an independent arm of government?
It will be recalled that this allegation of a plot for an interim govt first came from members of the Tinubu campaign organization like Femi Fani-Kayode, Festus Keyamo, ESQ and Bayo Onanuga. And now the DSS is toeing that same line and claiming to have identified the actors involved even without making any arrest.
Is the DSS now an arm of the Tinubu campaign organization or a national Intelligence Agency whose fidelity is to Nigeria as a country, not to any politician??
The answers to the above posers will come to light in the coming days and weeks. But one thing is clear, the February 25 presidential election was nothing short of an electoral genocide against Nigerians. And the masses have a right to express themselves. No amount of press release by the DSS will stop this.
Charles Ogbu, is a journalist and social activist.
