Peter Obi, Labour Party standard-bearer in the February 25 presidential election, has failed to publicly condemn the “treasonable utterances” of his running mate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, says information minister Lai Mohammed.

The minister stated this on Wednesday in London in reaction to calls for his arrest and prosecution.

The leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Edwin Clark, had called for the arrest of Mr Mohammed for spreading “fake news” about Mr Obi.

But the minister insisted that his statements about Messrs Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed were not based on falsehood.

Mr Mohammed stated, “What will be my offence? Is it by chiding the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party who said on live television that if President-elect Bola Tinubu is sworn in on May 29, that would be the end of democracy in Nigeria?”

The minister added, “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?”

He stressed Mr Datti Baba-Ahmed had not denied his “treasonable” statement and that Mr Obi failed to publicly condemn Mr Datti Baba-Ahmed’s objectionable utterance.

“The position of the law is clear that anybody who is aggrieved over election results should go to court. It is not to start threatening Nigerians and heating up the polity simply because you lost an election,” the minister explained.

Mr Mohammed stressed that the APC won the presidential election “fair and square” and INEC was right in declaring Mr Tinubu, the winner.

He reassured Nigerians and the international community that the president-elect would be sworn in on May 29. 

(NAN)