SAN FRANCISCO, February 12, (THEWILL) – The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, has said there is no provision for Interim National Government in the 1999 Constitution and as such discouraged Nigerians from promoting it under any guise.
There are fears that the electoral commission may be unable to conduct the general elections within the time frame allowed by the law to guarantee the swearing in of a new government on May 29, 2015. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last Saturday announced a six weeks delay to the polls citing the military campaign against the deadly terrorist group Boko Haram in Northwestern Nigeria.
Adoke in a statement Thursday said: “…The framers of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 did not envisage the constitution of Interim National Government to superintend over the affairs of Government. It is therefore not surprising to observe that no provision for Interim National Government was made in the Constitution.”
The full text of Adoke’s statement reads:
“My attention has been drawn to recent calls in the media by some Nigerians for the constitution of an Interim National Government to ostensibly mid-wife the 2015 General elections to usher in a new democratic Government.
While I recognize and appreciate the inalienable right of Nigerians to freely express themselves and proffer solutions to perceived national challenges, I am deeply concerned that some undiscerning Nigerians are being unwittingly led to believe that a certain prescription, which is totally alien to the Constitution, can be adopted as viable solution to our national challenges.
It has therefore become necessary to correct this misconception and refocus the citizenry on the path of constitutionalism and democratic tenets consistent with our quest for democratic consolidation in Nigeria. For avoidance of doubt, it is pertinent to state that the framers of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 did not envisage the constitution of Interim National Government to superintend over the affairs of Government. It is therefore not surprising to observe that no provision for Interim National Government was made in the Constitution.
The contraption called “Interim National Government” is therefore alien to Nigeria’s constitutional framework and the arrangement should not be promoted by well–meaning Nigerians under any guise or circumstance.
Nigerians are therefore enjoined to continue to rely on the Constitution, which contains adequate provisions on how the democratic process can be activated to elect their leaders from time to time.”
