The news of comments that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) vowed to form an interim government against the then-ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), if the 2015 general elections were rigged surfaced on social media recently.
This is on the backdrop of agitations that have since trailed the outcome of the 2023 presidential election and the public warning issued by the Department of States Service (DSS) on the plots for an interim government.
Verdict: Misleading
Full text
Checks by Daily Trust on Sunday revealed that ahead of the 2015 general elections, the All Progressives Congress had threatened to form a parallel government if the elections were rigged in favour of the PDP.
The leadership of the APC released a statement in November 2014, saying it would not recognize the outcome of the 2015 elections if they were rigged, and would go ahead to form a parallel government.
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A statement issued by the then National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, said “Nigerians will no longer accept the outcome of any fraudulent polls. Those who incite the people are those who steal their mandate.”
He noted that it is common knowledge that anywhere in the world where elections have been rigged, the consequences have been dire, and Nigeria will not be an exception.
“Let us remind the presidency, in case it has forgotten, that election fraud triggered a civil war in Algeria in the early 1990s, led to the killing of over 1,000 people in post-election riots in Kenya in 2007/2008 and fired a near revolution in Iran in 2009/2010. Electoral frauds also corrupt democracy and breed dictatorship, and risks making the people to lose confidence in democracy. Why then would any government react violently if warned against election rigging?” the party said.
The APC added that instead of issuing threats to opposition and engaging in name calling, the government of President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP should simply brace up to ensure that the forthcoming elections are not only free, fair and credible, but seen to be so by Nigerians and the international community.
APC said it is necessary to constantly warn the PDP and the Federal Government not to tamper with the 2015 polls because of their penchant for electoral desperation, which manifests in the intimidation of the opposition and the militarization of election, disposition to anarchy and propensity for impunity.
The party said already, the process leading to the 2015 polls are flawed, with moves to disenfranchise millions of Nigerians by making it impossible for them to either register or get their Permanent Voters Cards and the plot to depopulate the strongholds of the opposition,” the APC had said in 2014.
Verification
Checks by Daily Trust on Sunday show that an interim government is not the same as a parallel government.
An interim government on the one hand is a provisional form of government that operates temporarily until the country settles on a stable or permanent government.
A parallel government on the other hand is a form of an alternative — often rebellious — government that runs alongside the main government in power. It is a treasonable offense, according to section 37 of Nigeria’s criminal code.
Nigeria had an interim government in 1993, which was led by Ernest Shonekan. However, in 1998/1999 Abdulsalami Abubakar led a transitional government.
The closest any part of Nigeria has experienced a parallel government is Boko Haram terrorists attempting to run a state within a state by hoisting flags and taking over villages and towns in the northeast.
Nigeria has had no record of a full-fledged parallel government.
Conclusion: The claim that APC vowed to form an interim government if the PDP rigged the 2015 elections is misleading, although the party threatened to form a parallel government ahead of the general elections in 2015.
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