The Yoruba Referendum Committee (Agbajoowo) on Sunday dismissed the call for interim government or government of national unity in Nigeria come 2023.
The group in a statement in Ibadan emphasized that there was no basis for calling for the cancellation or boycott of the 2023 elections.
The statement signed by Mr. Femi Odedeyi and Mr. Shenge Rahman maintained that the “current suggestions by notable Yoruba individuals and organisations advocating for a government of national unity or an interim government were direct means of subverting the legitimate quest for true federalism in Nigeria.”
The organisation pointed out that “in 1960 when the idea of a government of national unity was proposed by the Northern Peoples’ Congress, the Action Group rejected it on the ground that such a coalition government was not feasible between two political parties of vastly divergent political philosophies.
“The interim government of 1993 was instituted as a half-measure to address the crisis emanating from the annulment of the June 12, 1993 elections. Because of its shaky foundation, it did not take long for the military that set it up to torpedo it. There is no evidence till date that the political upheaval or crisis engendered by the June 12 annulment has disappeared to warrant such calls.”
The organisation added, “Instead of the said crisis abating at that time, problems of structure and power relation in the country are getting worse by the day.”
Yoruba Referendum Committee however stressed that the “option before the Yorubas was to organize a referendum within Yorubaland to decide the framework for their aspirations and self-actualisation while also advocating a similar template for other Peoples of Nigeria to facilitate the re-federalisation of the country.
