L-R: Executive Chairman, Rivers State Internal Revenue Service, Onene Osila Obele-Shoko, Board Member RIRS, Christian Ogbowu, and Board Member, RIRS representing Rivers East, Sir Nelson Wali during the media dinner organised by RIRS at Viontel Hotel Stadium Raod, Port Harocurt recently. Photo: Egberi A. Sampson

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it will neither accept an interim government nor a postponement of next month’s elections as being advocated by certain individuals, saying the elections must hold as scheduled on February 14th and 28th 2015.
In a statement issued in Lagos, yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party warned that any attempt to scuttle the polls in preference for any other arrangement will be resisted by all available constitutional means.
“We are aware that those who are not comfortable with the turning of the political tide in favour of the opposition ahead of the elections are scheming to abort a possible victory for our party, through either an interim government or a postponement of the elections.
“These enemies of Nigeria include those who are worried by the strong anti-corruption stance of our party and its avowed commitment to good governance, and those who favour the status quo of anything goes, bad governance and massive corruption that have left Nigerians deeply pauperized and traumatized,” it said.
APC said those who may consider the two scenarios of interim government and postponement of the elections as outlandish should consider the published but yet-unrefuted statement by one Deji Adeyanju, said to be an official in the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe.
The party quoted Adeyanju, who handles Okupe’s Twitter Account, as saying in a Blackberry Messenger (BBM) statement: “Buhari can never be President of Nigeria. Quote me any day any time. Instead of Buhari to become President of Nigeria, Nigeria would rather break. A military coup will even be allowed than for Buhari to become the President of a democratic Nigeria quote me any day, any time.”
It said that since the statement has not been refuted, one can safely conclude that it represents the thinking in the Presidency circle.
”If a citizen is advocating a military coup against a sitting government just to prevent a supposed election victory of the opposition, it is nothing short of treason. Yet, the security agencies that have been falling over themselves warning against incendiary and inciting statements have not yet swung into action over this inciting statement. This is not encouraging vis-a-vis the non-partisan stand of the security agencies.
“The truth is that what could as well be a Freudian slip by Adeyanju has exposed the depth of panic and desperation in the Presidency ahead of next month’s polls. This has also confirmed that those who have been canvassing, either openly or otherwise, the options of interim government or postponement of the elections, are working at the behest of certain forces,” APC said.
The party, therefore, called on Nigerians to be vigilant and be ready to do everything under the law to protect the nation’s democracy, imperfect as it may be.
It also alerted the international community to the evil machinations of desperate politicians ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
“Our stand is simple but needs to be restated: The 2015 general elections must hold as scheduled all over Nigeria, and our party is ready for the elections. As we stated earlier, we will only accept the outcome of a free, fair, credible and transparent elections, not that of manipulated polls. We will also not agree to the postponement of next month’s elections under any guise, and an interim arrangement plot is totally unacceptable to us. We challenge the ruling PDP to also state its own stand on next month’s polls for the world to note.
“We challenge the Presidency to state its own stand and to also distance itself from the anarchic and treasonable statement by one of its own over the forthcoming polls,” APC said.