The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has defended himself against calls for his arrest and prosecution over his criticism of the Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for inciting the public to violence.
It was reported that Edwin Clark had called for Lai Mohammed’s arrest and prosecution for allegedly spreading “fake news” about Obi.
Clark accused the Minister of trying to incite violence in the country and destabilize the polity, adding that Mohammed’s statement was false and mischievous.
Reacting, the minister while speaking with newsmen said he stood by his admonition of Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, insisting that his advice was never based on falsehood.
He questioned what his offence was, asking, “Is it by chiding the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party who said on live television that if the President-elect Bola Tinubu is sworn-in on May 29, that would be the end of democracy in Nigeria?
“Is it for chiding him for saying that swearing in Tinubu on May 29 is like swearing in the military? What is the fake news in that?”
The Minister emphasized that Baba-Ahmed had never denied making the statement on live television, and Obi had not publicly called his running mate to order over the treasonable utterances.
He also pointed out that the position of the law is clear anybody who is aggrieved over election results should go to court, rather than start threatening Nigerians and heating up the polity simply because they lost an election.
Mohammed stressed that the APC won the presidential election “fair and square,” and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was right in declaring Tinubu the winner.
He reassured Nigerians and the international community that the President-elect would be sworn in on May 29.
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