WHY Top Officials Of The APC Consider The New Handover Date Of May 28 A Jonathanian Trap

We had brought you the story of plans by the departing Jonathan-led administration to handover to the incoming Buhari administration on May 28 rather than the constitutionally recognized date of May 29, as announced by  Minister of Information, Patricia Akwashiki.

On Friday, we reported as well that legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, decried the new handover date because the law abhorred a vacuum.

"As far as the law is concerned, President Jonathan is in charge of the country until May 29. He cannot cut short his presidency in the name of handing over the day before at a dinner, as there is no provision for a vacuum", Falana had said.

And now, some top officials within the All Progressives Congress (APC) think the new handover date announced by the presidency is a trap that may well be laden with sinister intentions, according to a Punch story.

The Punch writes that:

A top member of the All Progressives Congress, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media said, "It is simply not acceptable, we are rejecting it, it is a trap."

He explained that from a security point of view, it could be considered a trap.

"How can anyone explain a situation where an outgoing president and his team will conveniently excuse themselves from an event where they are supposed to play a role when the President-elect and the Vice-President- elect are supposed to be present?" he queried.

According to the party chieftain, power abhors a vacuum as such, the constitution does not envisage a situation where Nigeria will be without a sitting President even for one hour.

He said, "If Jonathan hands over on the 28th, who accounts for the hours before the morning of the 29th when the Chief Justice of the Federation is to administer the oath of office and the oath of allegiance?

"What if there is even a sinister motive to this whole saga? As the President of the nation; who will still be the Chief Security officer until he hands over, there is no excuse that is strong enough to excuse him from the event."

Rotimi Fashakin, a member of the Buhari campaign team also frowned at the new handover date.

"It (the proposed handover on the 28th) portends ill for the political destiny of this nation.

"That statement is loaded and it shows that the Nigerian people should not rest yet that there is still ominous signs which we should never take for granted. If Jonathan truly said he is handing over on the 28th it presupposes that he will be absent on the 29th.

"Number one, if he hands over on the 28th to the President-elect, does Gen. Muhammadu Buhari start to act effectively on that date? The answer is an emphatic NO.

"GMB does not start to act on that date, if you get what I mean. Handing over to GMB on that date is not only meaningless, it is stupid. It has no meaning in law, or reality. It means that for 24 hours before GMB takes over there will be a vacuum."

We await an official statement from the APC on this. Given their ability to churn out press releases, we are betting the wait won't be for too long.