Illegal declaration of results can trigger coup - Reno Omokri

A former media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri said the recent declaration of result of the Adamawa State governorship election was capable of triggering a military coup.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioner of Adamawa, Prof Hudu Yunus Ari, had declared Aisha Dahiru, popular as Binani, the winner of the state governorship election, while results were till expected in about 10 local governments in the state.

While reacting in a video shared on his YouTube channel on Monday, Omokri said the REC’s declaration of result portends a grave danger for Nigeria’s democracy.

He said, “I will like to counsel the Buhari’s administration to be careful, very careful over what is happening in Adamawa State.

“History does not repeat itself, men repeat history. And we know that the best predictor of future events is past events.

“Why did the second republic fall? It fell because…The trigger was what happened in Ondo State. In Ondo State, the ruling party was so hell-bent on taking that State. And then, they sent in soldiers, they sent in troops.

“They sent in a rogue FEDECO Commissioner. FEDECO that is the de-facto of today’s INEC. And then, the same thing that just happened in Adamawa happened in Ondo State. They illegally declared Akin Omoboriowo the winner of the election.

“And then, the people were not having it. Michael Adekunle Ajasin who was the popular candidate, who was the incumbent, who was the well-loved candidate…I mean, he didn’t have to do anything.

“It was the people of Ondo State that rose up, they beat up FEDECO officials, they faced the army. A lot of people died. And then, it was going to a breakdown of law and order, then the military ceased power.

“We don’t want a military government in Nigeria again. But then we gotta be smart. We gotta learn from history.”