The spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bolaji Abdullahi has alleged that following Muhammadu Buhari’s electoral victory in 2015, some supporters of the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan wanted a military coup to stop him from being sworn in as president.
Abdullahi claimed that the idea of a military takeover was “mooted” in one of the crisis meeting held after Jonathan had conceded defeat to Buhari.
In his upcoming book, titled ‘On a Platter of Gold: How Jonathan Won and Lost Nigeria,’ the APC spokesperson, however, noted that the alleged coup plot did not see the light of the day as an unnamed person successfully shut down the idea of military takeover.
According to Abdullahi, “Many in President Jonathan’s circles were still convinced that he had moved too quickly to congratulate Buhari. As they saw it, he should have tarried a while and possibly consulted more.
“In spite of what had happened however, it was still possible to salvage something. Jonathan’s call had more or less shut the door on everything. However, so long as Buhari had not been sworn in, there would still be cracks that sheer grit and guile could blow wide open.
“Another meeting was quickly summoned. Again, the idea of military takeover was mooted. The two most senior military officers at the meeting held to deliberate on this however advised that it was too late in the day.
“The ideal moment would have been before the six weeks postponement. If they had taken over at the time, they would have sacked (INEC chairman Attahiru) Jega as part of the military intervention and announced a new date for the election.
“While they might not be able to keep Jonathan in power, they would have been able to guarantee that Buhari would not be president. As things stood, no one would be able to withstand the bloodletting that could follow a military takeover after a clear winner had emerged.”