Interim government? Perish that thought 

The most talked-about news in Nigeria in recent days has been the suggestion of an interim government. Initially, I dismissed it as a rumour and did not consider it worthy of discussion until it was confirmed by the Department of State Services (DSS).

An interim government? What were the proponents thinking? The last time we had an interim government, we all know how it ended. But how is this supposed to work? Will the interim government conduct another election, and the candidates who won in the just-concluded elections will be asked to take a back seat or be disqualified? Or will there be a rerun of all the elections across the country, or only in the states where the aggrieved candidates lost the elections?

In my opinion, anyone proposing the idea of an interim government should be immediately arrested and charged with treason. Such people are enemies and saboteurs. Do they not realise the crisis that would engulf the country if this were to happen? At a time when almost every region is grappling with security issues, adding this to the mix would only exacerbate the situation. The crisis that would ensue would be worse than any problem the proponents are trying to solve.

I was also baffled as to why some clowns who protested in front of the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, calling for the military to take over, were not arrested and charged with treason. Are they serious? Calling for a military takeover is a grave offence.

I am not surprised by the reactions we have been seeing post-election. The reasons are not far-fetched.

The campaign and election were the most toxic in the history of the country. Cyberbullying was at an all-time high. Anyone who supported any candidate apart from the anointed messiah was bullied, insulted, and trolled. Some celebrities on social media who were sitting on the fence were also insulted and bullied. Some celebrities also took advantage of the occasion to support the anointed candidate to gain more clout. It was a sad situation.

The election also saw the three major tribes presenting candidates, and for the first time in a long while, we had a three-horse race instead of the usual two-horse. We are presently reaping the toxicity of the campaign, coupled with the exacerbation of our fault lines of ethnicity and religion by all three leading candidates.

Therefore, anyone expecting any of the candidates to accept the outcome of the presidential election doesn’t know Nigerian politicians. In Nigeria, politicians don’t lose elections; they are rigged out. But when they win, the people have spoken. It’s okay to lose an election; it’s okay to go to court. What’s not okay is to rubbish the entire system and process because you lost the election. What’s not okay is calling for a military takeover or an interim government because you lost an election. Elections will come and go, but Nigeria will remain.

Unless you are burying your head in the sand, we can never have a perfect election in Nigeria. In a country where almost everyone is trying to cut corners, where an average Nigerian is always trying to take advantage of their fellow citizens, how can we expect a perfect system? It is almost impossible. No matter where the pendulum swings in an election, there will always be politicians who will tell you that it was the worst in the country.

Needless to say, aggrieved politicians need to tone down their rhetoric. You can’t burn down the country because you lost an election. After all, four years is not far away, and we will have another election. If you burn down the country now, what country will be left for you to govern in four years?.

Regarding the call for an interim government, I believe that the DSS should take it a step further and arrest any person, no matter how highly placed, who is calling for an interim government. Nigeria is greater than an individual. May Nigeria win.