*Obi denies the allegations, says de-marketing not good for Nigeria
*Challenges Mohammed to explain why Nigeria failed to conduct a decent election in 2023
By Eze Chidozie
The Federal Government has alleged that the actions and utterances of the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, amounts to inciting people to violence over the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
In particular, government passed a verdict that his statements since after the election amounts to treason.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the statements in Washington DC during a briefing with some international media houses.
But Mr. Obi dismissed the allegations, saying “it is most unfortunate that these consistent efforts to portray me quite contrary to what I am and my core values, is coming from such high quarters”.
He added, “I have never discussed or encouraged anyone to undermine the Nigerian state; I’ve never sponsored or preached any action against the Nigerian state.
“Those initiating these actions have increasingly used their official positions and agents to make false allegations against me.
“I’m on record as always advocating peace and issue-based campaign and not campaigning based on ethnicity or religion”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the minister in Washington DC during an engagement with international media organisations and Think-tanks on the just concluded 2023 polls.
NAN also reported that the minister had so far engaged respectively with the “Washington Post, Voice of America, Associated Press and Foreign Policy Magazine”.
During the respective interactions with the media organisations, the minister said it was wrong for Obi on one breadth to seek redress in court over the outcome of the polls, and on another breadth inciting people to violence.
“Obi and his vice, Datti Ahmed cannot be threatening Nigerians that if the President-elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is sworn in on May 29, it will be the end of democracy in Nigeria. This is treason. You cannot be inviting insurrection, and this is what they are doing,” Mohammed said in accusing Obi of treason.
“Obi’s statement is that of a desperate person; he is not the democrat that he claimed to be.
“A democrat should not believe in democracy only when he wins the election,” he said.
The minister said in challenging the election results, there was no pathway to victory for either Obi or Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to the minister, neither Obi nor Atiku met the constitutional requirements to be declared as president.
“The constitution has stringent criteria for anybody who wants to be president of the country.
“Not only must he have the plurality of votes cast in an election, he must also have scored one-quarter of votes cast in at least 25 states.
“Only the President-elect met the criteria by scoring 8.79 million votes and having one-quarter of all the vote cast in 29 states of the federation,” he said.
The minister said Atiku who came second with 6.9 million votes was only able to make one-quarter of the votes cast in 21 states.
He said Obi came third with 5.8 million votes but won only one-quarter of votes cast in 15 states.
“You cannot win an election in a poll where you came to a distant third position and failed to meet constitutional requirements.
“Peter Obi, while complaining of fraud has not disowned his victory in Lagos,” he said.
*Obi denies allegations, says de-marketing not good for Nigeria
However, Obi, reacting to what he described as “various campaigns of calumny directed at him by some government and political party spokespersons” advised that they should stop their de-marketing process that is presenting Nigeria in a very bad light.
Obi said in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja that: “In the past few days, I’ve observed various campaigns of calumny directed at my person, the latest being allegations attributed to the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, from Washington DC.
The Labour Party standard bearer said, “it is most unfortunate that these consistent efforts to portray me quite contrary to what I am and my core values, is coming from such high quarters. Minister Lai accusing me of stoking insurrection is malicious and fictitious.
“I have never discussed or encouraged anyone to undermine the Nigerian state; I’ve never sponsored or preached any action against the Nigerian state. Those initiating these actions have increasingly used their official positions and agents to make false allegations against me. I’m on record as always advocating peace and issue-based campaign and not campaigning based on ethnicity or religion.
“I’m committed to due process and am presently seeking redress in Court. I urge those engaged in this demarketing process to stop presenting Nigeria in a such bad light. Our future generations deserve a new Nigeria where they can live a secure and decent life like their counterparts in other climes. It is possible”
Also, in a statement titled “Lai Mohammed’s Misplaced Mission to Washington,” Diran Onifade, Head, Obi-Datti Media Team, dismissed the minister’s claims as “most unfortunate” and roundly false claims.
Onifade stated “that the minister who is well known for unfettered propaganda and untruths has taken these pressing national issues to Washington DC for the sole purpose of delegitimizing Peter Obi”, asding, “this is unbecoming and part of well-orchestrated efforts by the APC and some government agents to discredit Mr. Obi locally and internationally.
“We condemn in totality the ridiculous action of Minister Lai Mohammed. This sorry episode regretably is coming days after the so- called leaked tape of Peter Obi’s purported conversation with Pastor David Oyedepo, which no doubt was the handiwork of deep state agents engaged in deep fake activities.
“We want to state very categorically that Mr Peter Obi has never, either during the campaign or after the stolen mandate, called for insurrection or an interim government.
“He campaigned on the promise of a new Nigeria, devoid of bigotry and ethnicity.
“Nigerians and Nigeria observers are fully aware of what transpired during the recent elections and that Mr. Obi’s mandate was stolen.
“The resort to due process and the Courts is a sign of strength and respect for the rule of law. Such commitment is contrary to any insinuations of anti-establishment activities.
“There is so much Mr. Mohammed can do to repair the damage and shame the recent elections have brought upon our dear country.
“It is unfortunate that the minister would rather use the opportunity of his foreign trip to drag Nigeria further down the path of global scorn.
“All the world expects of Nigeria’s Minister of Information at this time is an explanation as to why the giant of Africa cannot conduct a decent election in the year 2023”.
