The Federal Government has told those seeking regime change to wait till the next election in 2027.
Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals, said this after the inaugural Council of State meeting under President Bola Tinubu.
Among those who attended the meeting at the Presidential Villa were former Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan.
Former presidents Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalami Abubakar also joined the meeting virtually, while former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida were absent.
The meeting of the National Council of State holds to advise the President on policy decisions and other matters that the sitting president might put before them.
Members of the Council include the President, Vice President, former Presidents and Heads of State, the Senate President, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, state governors, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Addressing State House Correspondents after the meeting that lasted for over three hours, Alake said, “Matters of State were discussed in a robust manner and the National Security Adviser was on hand to present the security situation of the country and he did inform the Council of State about the Pre, during and post events of the last protest which I do not call a protest.
“I call it a movement to effect a change of regime by force which was also resisted. The council thanked Nigerians at large for resisting an unconstitutional move to change government. If anybody is not satisfied with the government, the current administration, there is always an election coming, so you wait for election and cast your vote.
“The NSA brief the council on the security situation and laid bare… So after the NSA briefing, he allayed everybody’s fears and spoke on the tightness of the security around the country and also re assured all that nobody will be allowed to truncate our hard earned democracy.
“Any change of government has to be through the ballot and not through the barrel of the gun, or through insurrection or through any other unconstitutional means, only through the ballot box can any government be changed and re assured on the security readiness of all security agencies in the country to secure our territorial integrity and to protect Nigerians democracy.”
Alake added that the presentations by seven ministers was to let the Council of State know the progress being made in each sector of the economy.
He said, the “Agenda, is on economic diversification. And that’s why I was there. That’s why Agric was there. That’s why all the other ministers you know that constitute, or the ministries that constitutes the plank of the Renewed Hope Agendas, economic diversification and transformation.”
Council pass vote of confidence on Tinubu
On his part, The Chairman of the Governor’s Forum and Governor of Kwara State Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq said the Council also passed a vote of Confidence on President Bola Tinubu.
He disclosed that after the Council of State meeting, the Governors also met with the President in an Executive session where another vote of confidence was passed on the president
He said, “Council members, especially those of the Nigerian governor’s forum, were satisfied with the presentation by the members of the Federal Executive Council, and after that meeting, there was an executive session between members of the Nigerian governor’s forum and Mr President, and Frank and fruitful discussions were held between both parties.
“I’m glad to say we’re on the right track. And to say in the same vein, members of the NGF also, like the members of the Council of State, passed a vote of confidence on Mr President. We also wish him well and pray for God, guidance for him. Thank”
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