The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has condemned the attack on him by the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, for stating Federal Government’s position on the 2023 elections.
The minister responded to the organisation’s attack in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Washington.
Afenifere had berated the minister for condemning Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate for inciting people to violence over the outcome of the February 25 presidential elections.
Responding to Afenifere, the minister said the attack on him was borne out of frustration and anger at the loss of their investment in Obi’s ambition.
“It is clear from what they said that Afenifere invested heavily on Peter Obi’s presidency, and they failed woefully, that is the reason why they are lamenting.
“They have refused to get over the loss of what they invested in Obi’s presidential campaign.
“But the earlier they do, the better for them,” he said.
The minister said that Afenifere had lost its reputation and relevance as the voice of the South-West.
“Fortunate were days when Afenifere sneezes and the whole country will catch a cold. It is not the same thing right now.
“When Afenifere talks and you begin to ask yourself, ‘Which Afenifere?’, you know what that means,’’ he said.
He stressed his position that there was no provision in INEC laws that allows the Commission to transmit the results of elections electronically.
Mohammed said that the entire process from voting to collation to sorting to tabulation and transmission was manual.
He said the law setting up INEC, gives the Commission the right to determine the mode of elections, the mode of collation and the transmission of results.
The minister also responded to a call by a civic organisation, Integrity Group, for his national apology over the admonition of Obi.
He said the group had failed to understand the position of the Federal Government on the unacceptable postures of the Labour Party presidential candidate
“I said Peter Obi and the Labour Party should stop inciting people to violence since they have submitted themselves to the election tribunal.
“They should stop asking people to go out on the streets, they should stop the reckless statement that if the President-elect is sworn-in, it will be the end of democracy,” he said. (NAN)
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