The federal government Tuesday warned the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, against inciting people to violence over the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, gave the warning in Washington DC during his official engagements with some international media organisations.
According to him, it is treason for Obi and Datti to be threatening that if the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is sworn in on May 29, it will be the end of democracy in Nigeria. But Obi and the Labour Party have since debunked the allegation.
The new fight
The government’s allegation is amidst the controversy trailing the leaked audio of the telephone conversation between Obi and Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church Worldwide, aka Winners Chapel. In the audio, Obi was heard begging Oyedepo to help him get votes from Christians in South-West and Kwara State because the February 25 presidential election was a ‘religious war’.
Recall that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had also fined Channels Television N5 million for allegedly violating the NBC code in a programme with Baba-Ahmed.
Baba-Ahmed in an interview with the station said Tinubu failed to fulfill the requirements stipulated in the section of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for election to the office of the president.
He said swearing in Tinubu as president is “ending democracy” and a clear violation of the constitution.
He then asked Olukayode Ariwoola, the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), not to participate in the swearing-in of Tinubu as president.
A few days ago, the Department of State Service (DSS) raised the alarm that some politicians were plotting to truncate the May 29 inauguration of Tinubu and enthrone an interim government.
The information minister who is in Washington to engage with international media organisations and think-tanks on the just concluded 2023 polls, such as Washington Post, Voice of America, Associated Press and Foreign Policy Magazine, 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.
“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 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 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 votes 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. Reacting in a series of tweets Tuesday, Obi said there were efforts to portray him in a bad light.
“In the past few days, I have observed various campaigns of calumny directed at my person, with the latest being allegations attributed to the information minister, Lai Mohammed from Washington DC.
“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 totally malicious and fictitious.
“I have never discussed or encouraged anyone to undermine the Nigerian state; I have 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 am on record as always, advocating for peace and issue-based campaigns and never campaigned based on ethnicity or religion. I am committed to due process, and presently seeking redress in the court.
“I urge those engaged in this demarketing process to stop presenting Nigeria in such a 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,” Obi said.
Govt, politicians cautioned against provocative utterances
Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Chairman, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, in a chat with Daily Trust Tuesday, urged the government and politicians to shun provocative utterances.
“It is in this regard that we must follow the democratic and constitutional rules to conduct and channel any grievances without engaging in any action capable of causing political violence as violence cannot bring peace and stability.
“Therefore, political actors must avoid utterances capable of incitement and also public officials must not manipulate or abuse their positions to undermine human rights and political freedoms.
“Government and public officials must also be honest and sincere and must not engage in provocative utterances against other politicians. They must not also frame them for what they did not deserve to be treated. There must be respect for freedom and democratic choice,” he said.
Executive Director of the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Dr Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, said “The resort to threats of treasonous dimensions to gag the opposition will not make the issues, which undermine the credibility of the elections go away.”
He said if the elections were smooth and free of mind-boggling flaws, there would be no objections against it.
“The outcome of the process has frayed many nerves, and the political actors on the losing side are raising questions both in the regular courts and in the courts of public opinion. It is counterproductive to further heat up the polity with allegations of treason.”
Reps ask security agencies to be on the alert
Members of the House of Representatives Tuesday asked security agencies to be on the alert and bring anyone suggesting treasonable felony to justice.
During a debate on a motion of matters of urgent public importance by Unyime Idem (PDP, Akwa Ibom), lawmakers condemned the calls for an interim government in the country. Idem warned if the plots by some politicians to enthrone an interim government as alleged by the DSS were not nipped in the bud, it would result in anarchy.
On his part, Rep Sergius Ogun urged the security outfits to do their work and apprehend anyone suggesting the treasonable felony to justice.
Rep Ossai Nicholas Ossai wondered why those calling for an interim government had not been named or arrested by the DSS.
Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris noted that the DSS is not being speculative but is bound by the mode and procedures of operation in a democratic society to convict suspects.
Rep Abdullahi Abdulkadir Sa’ad called for a serious resolution to avert what happened in Nigeria in 1993 following the annulment of the credible election of the time.
Rep Sada Soli Jibia stressed the need to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy and commended the DSS for bringing the matter up and ensuring Nigerians are not caught unawares.
He wondered why the House Committee on National Security had not briefed members on the true situation of things. He called for all involved to think proactively and ensure the grievances of a few disgruntled individuals should not consume the Nigerian democracy.
Nigeria not under any threat, says Defence Chief
The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, Tuesday said Nigeria was not under any security threat warranting deployment of United Nations troops in the country ahead of May 29 inauguration.
He said the Armed Forces of Nigeria and its personnel were ever-ready to prevent any external aggression that might want to penetrate the country and disrupt its peace.
He was reacting to video clips arising from the presence of some United Nations Peacekeeping fighting vehicles and equipment sighted recently in Benin, Edo State.
Speaking through Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, Director of Defence Information, Irabor said the military fighting vehicles and equipment painted in UN colour as sighted were being moved through the Warri Port for movement to the mission area in Southern Sudan.
“The Defence Headquarters under the leadership of General Lucky Irabor CFR wish to assure Nigerians that our nation is not under any threat that will warrant the deployment of United Nations troops on our soil.”
Anti-Tinubu protesters storm White House
Some protesters against the victory of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, have stormed the White House in the United States, demanding that democracy prevails in Nigeria.
In videos posted on social media, they were seen waving the Nigerian flag in front of the White House; while others held the American flag in what appeared to be a call for solidarity. The protesters held placards with different inscriptions such as “Democracy under threat in Nigeria”, “Let Nigerian votes count”, “Nigerians reject the election result”, among others.
By Abbas Jimoh, Balarabe Alkassim & Idowu Isamotu
