In 1993, following the annulment of the presidential election won by Chief M.K.O Abiola, former Military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, introduced an interim national government.

This was the first time an interim government was introduced in Nigeria. However, the arrangement was declared illegal by the late Justice Dolapo Akinsanya on November 10, 1993, and the Third Republic was brought to an end on November 11 by former Military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, who seized power in a palace coup. Since then, no court of law has reversed the decision to declare the interim government illegal, and it is not mentioned in the 1999 Constitution.

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The idea of an interim government did not resurface in Nigeria until shortly before the 2015 general elections when the Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly and Convener of Save Nigeria Group, Pastor Tunde Bakare, suggested Nigeria needed an interim government to solve looming political crises. Bakare posited that an interim government was needed rather than another election to resolve the dilemma of whether Jonathan should contest or not.

However, the suggestion was opposed on the ground that there was no constitutional provision for an interim government. In 2023, Chief Afe Babalola, a legal luminary, also made a similar call for an interim government, instead of holding another general election. He expressed concern that conducting another election under the 1999 Constitution would reproduce the faulty leadership system being experienced in the country.

This idea was also rejected, as Justice Bello Adoke, a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, countered Babalola, arguing that suspending the 2023 elections could not be justified as it would create a gap in democratic transition that is capable of truncating democracy.

After the 2023 presidential election, the Department of State Services (DSS) alerted the nation to the activities of certain elements who were calling for an interim government. This came in reaction to the outcome of the presidential election won by Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, his two major rivals, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) have since disagreed, claiming that they won and gone to court to reverse the outcome. Members and supporters of the PDP, led by Atiku, who finished second, protested and stormed the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Abuja office to submit a petition denouncing electoral fraud.

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Meanwhile, a spokesman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Femi Fani Kayode, had earlier raised the alarm that some politicians were trying to create a crisis to prepare the ground for an interim government. Confirming the alarm, the DSS warned against moves to scuttle democracy and called on those behind the plot to retrace their steps.

The DSS said it considered the conspiracy by entrenched interests an aberration and a mischievous way to set aside the Constitution and undermine civil rule. The agency said the motive was to plunge the country into an avoidable crisis.

While monitoring the situation, the DSS warned that it would not hesitate to take decisive and necessary legal steps against those who attempt to frustrate the democratic process. Stakeholders, notably judicial authorities, media, and the civil society, were called upon to be watchful and cautious to avoid being used as instruments to subvert peace and stability in the nation. The DSS stated that it would collaborate with sister security and law enforcement agencies to ensure seamless inaugurations on May 29, 2023.