Alleged Treason: Stop campaign of calumny – Obi tells FG, APC

BrandPower Magazine 05/04/2023Last Updated: 05/04/2023

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The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi has asked the Federal Government and Spokespersons of the APC to stop the campaign of hate and calumny against his person. Obi noted that the campaign was de-marketing Nigeria on the global stage.

Obi said this in a statement in Abuja wherein he explained that the various campaigns of calumny directed at him by some government and political party spokespersons would be a disservice to the nation in the long run.

Peter Obi said that he was saddened, on reading the press statement by the Nigerian Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

The Minister had, in a press statement, accused Mr Peter Obi and his Deputy, Sen. Baba Datti-Ahmed, of treason, by their inciting the citizens to revolt against the announcement of Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu as the President-elect.

But Peter Obi has given a rebuttal saying: “In the past few days, I’ve observed various campaigns of calumny directed at my person, the latest being allegations attributed to Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, from Washington DC.

“It is most unfortunate that these consistent efforts to portray me are quite contrary to what I am and my core values are coming from such high quarters. Minister Lai accusing me of stoking insurrection is malicious and fictitious.”

In a release made available to the press, Obi said that he was not perturbed by the Minister bandying around the word ‘treason’ because, as far as he (Obi) was concerned, he had taken the legal route towards the recovery of his mandate and that he remained committed to that. “Any person ‘seeing’ treason in a clear legal process should explain to Nigerians how opting for the tribunal by myself and my Deputy amounts to treason,” Obi said.

Part of the release reads: “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, in Washington DC. It is most unfortunate that these consistent efforts to portray me in a manner, quite contrary to what I am and my core values, are coming from such high quarters. Minister Lai accusing me of stoking the fire of insurrection is totally fictitious and malicious. I have never advocated or encouraged anyone to undermine the Nigerian state; I’ve never sponsored or preached any action against the Nigerian state.”

Regretting what he described as “recklessness” by some Nigerians, Obi said it was utterly perplexing that a Minister would be busy travelling round the world, telling Nigerians that the purpose was to tell the world the true story of the Nigerian election.”

Obi said it was laughable, against the background of the fact that most of those countries sent their people to monitor the election and have all received reports from the monitors, as well as from their embassies. “Obi asked: “Between Lai Mohammed and their monitors/embassies, who would these countries believe?”

He further said that such reckless behaviour, sponsored with taxpayers money, was among the reasons those countries often do not take Nigeria seriously. “The billions spent on those meaningless trips would be enough to fix several dilapidated schools in the country,“ Obi said.

While urging Nigerians to always remain law-abiding and hopeful for the coming of the New Nigeria, Obi reinstated his steadfast inclination: “I’m on record, as always, advocating peace and issue-based campaign, NOT a campaign based on ethnicity or religion. I’m committed to Due Process and presently seeking redress in Court. I urge those engaged in this demarketing process to stop presenting Nigeria in 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. And this is possible.”

BRANDPOWER report that Lai Mohammed had earlier admonished the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi from inciting people to violence over the outcome of the Presidential elections.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed gave the admonition in Washington DC during his official engagements with some international media organisations.

The minister is in Washington to engage with international media organisations and Think-tanks on the just concluded 2023 polls

BRANDPOWER also reports 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 in one breadth to seek redress in court over the outcome of the polls and in other 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.

“Obi’s statement is that of a desperate person, he is not a democrat that he claimed to be.

“A democrat should not believe in democracy only when he wins an election,” he said.

The minister said in challenging the election results, there was no pathway to victory for either Obi and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to the minister, both Obi and Atiku failed to meet 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 has the plurality of vote 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 the votes cast in 15 states.

“You cannot win election in a poll where you came 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.

Elaborating on his mission to the U.S., the minister said he was there to correct the negative narratives being promoted by naysayers and opposition on the election.

He said the opposition, having lost in the election was alleging fraud, calling for its cancellation and constitution of an interim government.

“We have come here to balance that skewed narratives and to tell the world unambiguously that the just concluded general elections in Nigeria is the fairest, most transparent and authentic in the history of Nigeria.

“The election is the fairest and most credible because of the introduction of the Bimodal Voters Verification System (BVAS) which I regard as a game changer.

BVAS technology had helped to weed out ghost and illegal voters, eliminate multiple voting and return sanity to the elections.

Relying on INEC report, the minister said BVAS, during the polls, worked 97 percent giving unparalleled credibility to the elections.

But Peter Obi has countered that, “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 campaigns and not campaigning based on ethnicity or religion.

“ I’m committed to due process and I am presently seeking redress in court. I urge those engaged in this demarketing process to stop presenting Nigeria in such a bad light.” he said.

Obi said “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”

Obi said that he was not perturbed by the Minister bandying around the word ‘treason’ because, as far as he (Obi) was concerned, he had taken the legal route toward the recovery of his mandate and that he remained committed to that. “Any person ‘seeing’ treason in a clear legal process should explain to Nigerians how opting for the tribunal by myself and my Deputy amounts to treason.”