There was some disquiet in the country recently when the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, accused the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, and his running mate, Dr. Yusuf Datti-Ahmed, of treason. The minister, who addressed some journalists from the ‘Washington Post’, Voice of America, Associated Press and Foreign Policy Magazine in Washington DC, United States of America, said Obi and Datti were making inciting statements that could lead to insurrection in the country.
“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 that is what they are doing,” Mohammed alleged.
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment and Tinubu’s Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Festus Keyamo, had made similar allegation against Obi. In a recent petition to the Department of State Services (DSS), Keyamo accused Obi and Datti-Ahmed of making incendiary comments over the outcome of the presidential election. He called for their arrest and prosecution for incitement and treasonable felony. The DSS even claimed it had confirmed the alleged plots by some political actors to install interim government in the country. It warned that it would not hesitate to take decisive and necessary legal steps against those allegedly plotting to thwart democracy in Nigeria.
These allegations are disturbing. Treason is a weighty offence. It is not something anybody plays with or an allegation that should be triviliazed. It is not an issue for propaganda because it involves actions that undermine the sovereignty of a nation. It is a serious issue that could lead to a death sentence for whoever commits it if proven to be true. There are ingredients that make up treason. Somebody making comments about the actions of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for instance, cannot be said to have committed treason.
Granted, Datti-Ahmed went a bit far in his choice of words when he said, among others, that swearing in someone that had not met the constitutional requirements was ending democracy. But, no discerning observer would pretend to be happy over INEC’s shoddy polls. Apparently aware of the weight of Mohammed’s allegation, Mr. Obi responded swiftly. According to him, he never engaged in any action that could undermine the peace and stability of the country. Describing the allegation as malicious and fictitious, he expressed sadness over the turn of events in the country.
Obi lamented, “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 campaign and never campaigned based on ethnicity or religion. I am committed to due process, and presently seeking redress in the court.”
When subjected to critical analysis, it does appear that the Federal Government is raising unnecessary tension in the country. Mr. Obi has repeatedly calmed his followers and supporters down, urging them not to engage in any illegal act. He has gone to court to challenge the outcome of the election of February 25. We have not seen or heard him making any incendiary comments as alleged. It is left for the tribunal to do its work as its silence so far appears to be fuelling what is happening now.
We advise Lai Mohammed to take it easy. He is always playing fast and loose with facts. People who speak for the government should be circumspect about what they say at all times. It is even the minister that is trying to incite people against Obi and Datti. And it is a sheer waste of the scarce public funds to embark on this foreign trip just to disparage a citizen before the international community.
The same Lai Mohammed, as National Publicity Secretary of the APC, issued a statement in November 2014, vowing that the APC would form a parallel government if the elections of that year were rigged. The APC slammed the Presidency then for its response to the parallel government warning, noting that it was laughable that anyone would call its statement treasonable and that there was no higher treason than the subversion of the will of the people.
The only way out of the tension in the country is for the tribunal to start its work as soon as possible. We believe that the judiciary is still dependable. We should trust it to examine all the contentious electoral issues dispassionately and pass a clear judgment. All these allegations about treason and interim government are diversionary. There should be a limit to propaganda because it touches on the integrity of the country. We make a mockery of ourselves in the international community when we bandy such words.