Ahead of the 2023 general elections scheduled to hold on February 25 and March 11, the Department of State Services (DSS) has warned politicians, political parties, the media, and others against making unguarded statements capable of heating up the populace which could result in a breakdown of law and order. The warning was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the DSS, Public Relations Officer, Dr. Peter Afunanya.
According to the statement, “Political parties and their media managers are advised to apply restraint in their utterances and public communication engagements prior to and after the general elections.
“This is to avoid heating up the polity and evoking tendencies that could lead to violent reactions as well as undermine peace and order.”
The warning by the DSS comes in the wake of allegations of coup plotting made in a Twitter post by Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation and the Director of New Media of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), where he alleged that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar met with some army generals.
The DSS spokesperson said, “The DSS hereby informs the public that it invited Chief Femi Fani-Kayode to its National Headquarters, Abuja on the 13th of February, 2023.
“The invitation was in respect of an investigation of some of his allegations and insinuations relating to issues relevant to national security. Chief Fani-Kayode faced a panel which interviewed him on the subject matter.
“Afterwards, the Service granted him administrative bail and directed that he make routine returns to the office with effect from Wednesday, 15the February 2023 till otherwise. The investigation, however, continues.”
After his departure from the DSS headquarters on Monday, Fani-Kayode said, “I spent 5 hours. I was subjected to thorough grilling; they were very thorough and highly professional in their interrogation and I was asked to go back on Wednesday for further interrogation.
“The place anybody wouldn’t want to go, I think is the DSS. If I were to do it a second time, I won’t tweet this same way.”
