The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, has said that the 1999 Constitution did not make any provision for an Interim National Government (ING).
In a press statement signed by him, he said those who wrote the Constitution did not envisage the composition of any Interim National Government to superintend over the affairs of the government of the federation.
Adoke said the clarification became necessary to correct the misconception in the media and refocus the citizenry on the path of constitutionalism and democratic tenets consistent with the quest for democratic consolidation in the country.
He said: “My attention has been drawn to recent calls by some Nigerians for the constitution of an Interim National Government to ostensibly midwife the 2015 general elections to usher in a new democratic government.
“While I recognise 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.”
Continuing, he said: “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.”
According to him, 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,” he added.
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