The federal government has said the refusal of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), to condemn Datti Baba-Ahmed, his running mates, over the latter’s controversial comments means he supports them.
On March 22, Datti said Nigeria has no president-elect despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announcing Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election.
The LP vice-presidential candidate said Tinubu would be leading an unconstitutional government if sworn into office, adding that the APC candidate “has not met requirements of the law”.
Speaking with state house correspondents on Wednesday, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, said nobody has the right to call for insurrection in the country.
He said Datti spoke on behalf of Obi and the Labour Party and Obi has not corrected him.
“I said Obi has every right to seek redress in court like Labour Party but nobody has the right to call for insurrection or to threaten to say that if the president-elect is sworn-in, that would be the end of democracy,” Lai said.
“And that was precisely what Obi’s running mate said on live television and I have not heard Obi rein him in or correct him; so, if your running mate says something; of course, he was saying on behalf of the party and on behalf of the candidate.
“That is why I said that was treason; for anybody to say that if a duly elected president in Nigeria is sworn in, that will be the end of democracy is treason. For anybody to say if you swear in a duly elected president, you are swearing the military, it is treason.
“So, I don’t see anything controversy in that.”