Former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has said the actions and utterances of Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in the last eight years have further polarised the country.
Clark, who is the Leader of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, called for the immediate prosecution of Mohammed for spreading fake news against the presidential candidate of Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi.
According to Clark, Lai’s duty was to unite the country and create an atmosphere for Nigerians to live together as brothers and sisters.
In a statement on Monday, Clark noted that what Lai Mohammmed was doing with the Office of Minister of Information he (Clark) left over 48 years ago, when he was appointed by former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon as Federal Commissioner for Information in 1975, was disappointing.
The statement was entitled, “LAI MOHAMMED MINISTER OF INFORMATION SHOULD BE PROSECUTED FOR SPREADING FAKE NEWS AGAINST THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF LABOUR PARTY MR PETER GREGORY OBI”.
According to the leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Lai Mohammed’s recent visit to the United States of America, USA, on the issue of Interim National Government, ING, to damage the reputation of Obi’s rising profile is an effort in futility.
He said the minister did not base his accusations on any report or information given by any state agency, but on mere propaganda targeted at destroying the reputation of an innocent citizen.
The elder statesman, who noted that rather than treat the media as the 4th estate of the realm, Lai Mohammed had decided to wear the ‘Oga’ toga.
He wondered why will the Minister of Information take more than usual interest in not only impugning Peter Obi character, but using his privileged position to spread same to the country and the entire world?