Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S, Melvin Foote, Senior Fellow of Hudson, Atlantic Council and CFR.
At the Hudson Institute
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi, has described the current trips round the world of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, which he claims is to tell the foreign countries the “true story” of the elections in Nigeria, as laughable and a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Mr. Obi, in a statement reacting to Mohammed’s press statement in Washington accusing him and his Deputy, Sen. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, of treason, by their allegedly inciting the citizens of Nigeria to revolt against the announcement of Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu as the President-elect, said that the foreign governments and people Mohammed was trying to tell the “true story” already have reports of exactly what happened in Nigeria.
He noted that most of those countries sent their people to monitor the election and have Embassies in the country and have all received reports from the monitors, as well as from their embassies.
“Between Lai Mohammed and their monitors/embassies, who would these countries believe?” Obi asked, stressing that the billions of taxpayers’ money Mohammed was wasting on the “meaningless trips would be enough to rehabilitate several dilapidated schools across the country.”
The former Governor of Anambra State said in response to the allegation of treason: “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.”
Obi said he was not perturbed by the Minister’s careless use of the word ‘treason,’ since, as far as he is concerned, he has already embarked on the legal route to the recovery of his mandate and remained committed to that process. “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,” he stressed.
He urged Nigerians to continue to remain law-abiding and hopeful for the coming of the New Nigeria they desire, while insisting that he is “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,” he noted.
