APC, agents pressuring me into exile – Obi

Labour Party candidate in the February 25 Presidential Election, Dr Peter Obi, has disclosed of ‘mounting attempts’ on him from those he described as ‘officials and agencies’ of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to leave the country amid allegations of treason and inviting insurrection leveled against him by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

Obi further described as ‘unfortunate and sad,’ the attempts by the ‘APC as a Party, and the APC Led-government through some government officials and agencies to divert’ the attention of the Labour Party from ‘from our blatantly stolen mandate.’

According to Obi, ‘these have come and continued to manifest in different ways, such as the malicious accusation of the Minister of Information, Mr Lai Mohammed, the circulation of a fake doctored audio call, and a pressure on me to leave the country.’

Dr Obi who made the disclosure while posting a series of tweets, last Wednesday, also revealed that the Labour Party is consulting with its lawyers with a view to suing those he claims to be behind ….

It would be recalled that  Federal Government, had earlier Tuesday, through the Minister of Information, accused the LP Presidential candidate, Obi and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, respectively, of ‘inviting insurrection’ in the country, as he accused the duo of treason against the government.

Speaking in Washington DC, United States, during his official engagement with some international media organisations, Tuesday, Alhaji Mohammed described Obi’s comments on the just-concluded general elections as portraying the LP presidential candidate as ‘a desperate person,’ adding further that Obi ‘is not a democrat that he claimed to be.’

The minister further cautioned both Labour Party flag bearers against inciting people to violence over the outcome of the Presidential elections, stating that it was wrong for Obi to seek redress in court over the election results while also inciting people to violence in another.

“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 a democrat that he claimed to be. A democrat should not believe in democracy only when he wins election,” he said.

According to Mohammed, neither Obi nor the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had a chance of winning, as both ‘failed to meet the constitutional requirements to be declared as president.’

However, reacting to the accusation made by Mohammed, Obi insisted that he has ‘never discussed or encouraged anyone to undermine the Nigerian state,’ reiterating his commitment to following due process in the court processes challenging the February 25 election results.

Obi who was reacting via his verified Twitter handle (@PeterObi), Tuesday, wrote:

“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,” Obi had replied, Tuesday.

However, since the conclusion of the polls, the social media space has been awash with allegation and counter-allegations, especially between the LP and APC spokespersons.

The latest of which was a purported audio conversation between Obi and Founder of the Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, which reportedly took place just before the February 25 poll, as the LP candidate is overheard begging the cleric to use his clout to influence his members to vote for him.

The LP candidate and his supporters, the party and Campaign Organisation have tended credible evidence showing that the conversation was doctored and manipulated to suit the narrative of the ruling APC party.

Before then, last week, following the airing of a live interview featuring Datti on Channels TV which had the LP Vice Presidential candidate, urge President Muhammadu Buhari not to swear in Tinubu on May 29 as the president-elect did not meet the constitutional requirement for such, the broadcast industry’s regulator, the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) fined the station the sum of N5 million for breach of operational guidelines and code.

Obi and Atiku have separately filed petitions at the Presidential Elections Petitions tribunal in Abuja challenging the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as president-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Meanwhile, Obi’s allegation of being threatened and forced to leave the country comes as a new twist in the saga of controversies in the aftermath of the General Elections between the camps of the LP and APC.

In a series of tweets via his personal and verified Twitter handle (@PeterObi), the Labour Party chieftain reiterated his claim that the alleged ‘the audio call being circulated is fake, and at no time throughout the campaign and now did I ever say, think, or even imply that the 2023 election is, or was a religious war.’

“I continue to thank all Nigerians, especially the youths and the Obidients, as they have remained focused on the core mission of a New Nigeria that is POssible even after the February 25, 2023 presidential election.

“Before, during, and after the campaign, it is on record that I have maintained my commitment and focus on issue-based campaign about a New Nigeria that is POssible, a shift of emphasis from consumption to production, a New Nigeria characterized by inclusion, justice, equity, fairness, and prosperity.

“I repeatedly stated that no one should vote for me based on Tribe or Religion, but rather on the assessment of Character, Competence, Capacity, Credibility, and Compassion that can be trusted to create a New Nigeria!

“The present attempts by the APC as a Party, and the APC Led-government through some government officials and agencies to divert our attention from our blatantly stolen mandate is unfortunate and sad.

“These have come and continued to manifest in different ways, such as the malicious accusation of the Minister of Information, Mr Lai Mohammed, the circulation of a fake doctored audio call, and a pressure on me to leave the country.

“Let me reiterate that the audio call being circulated is fake, and at no time throughout the campaign and now did I ever say, think, or even imply that the 2023 election is, or was a religious war.

“The attempts to manipulate Nigerians is very sad and wicked. Our legal team have been instructed to take appropriate legal actions against Peoples Gazette and others.

“While we call on all concerned Nigerians and the International Community to implore the APC and the APC Led-government to stop their nasty attacks, my focus and commitment to lawfully and peacefully retrieve our mandate to secure and unite our Nation, take Nigeria from consumption to production, pull millions of Nigerians out of multidimensional poverty especially in the North, and jumpstart prosperity through agricultural, industrial, and technological revolution remain unchanged.

“Elections are over, and we are in court to retrieve our stolen mandate. Let me reiterate that we are doing so through all lawful and peaceful options in line with our legal system and constitution, and I continue to implore all Nigerians to remain peaceful and law abiding,” Obi tweeted.

The LP chieftain, however, advised ‘those fixated with heating up the polity, creating divisions, tensions and hatred within and outside Nigeria should remember that Nigeria is our only country.;

According to him, “Our focus should be on how to address the litany of challenges facing us, such as: flawed electoral processes, the parlous state of our economy, unsustainable debt burden, lamentable unemployment and inflation, insecurity, and multi-dimensional poverty. A New Nigeria is indeed POssible, and God will help us,” he concluded his statement.