Saraki didn’t influence my appointment as minister – Lai Mohammed

Moshood Adebayo

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described as fiction, a statement credited to the Special Adviser (Media) to the Director General of the People’s Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Doyin Okupe,  that Senate President,  Bukola Saraki,  was instrumental to his appointment; as minister.

In a statement signed by his  Special Assistant, Segun Adeyemi,  in Abuja,

yesterday, the minister said there was no iota of truth in the statement , adding that it was laughable that anyone would seek to take credit for his appointment.

The minister said he owed his appointment as minister to President Muhammadu Buhari and no one else.

‘’The entire statement by Dr. Okupe is nothing but fiction writing, for which he deserves a hall of infamy award (in the fiction writing segment). Not one of the claims he made in his statement is true.

‘’We challenge Dr. Okupe, who concocted the story in question, to make available to Nigerians any evidence he may have to support his assertion that the president sought the permission of Dr. Saraki to appoint Alhaji Mohammed as minister.

‘’We understand that Dr. Okupe’s cheap attempt at mud-throwing is nothing but a proxy fight, rooted deeply in the politics of Kwara State. We are aware that Dr. Okupe’s boss is feeling the heat emanating from the ‘O To Ge’ (enough is enough) Movement in Kwara.

‘’Even the strongest of men will become disoriented and disillusioned at losing the support of a people who once venerated them to high heavens. But, that is a self-inflicted wound for which Okupe’s boss, an acclaimed slave master, has no one but himself to blame.”

Adeyemi said his boss, Alhaji Mohammed, was  very proud to lead the ‘O To Ge’ movement ‘’that is set to finally bring down the Berlin Wall of political hegemony in Kwara State and send Dr. Okupe’s boss into political oblivion.

‘’That will also free Dr. Okupe himself from merely being his master’s voice, so he can fully devote his time to his new-found pastime – fiction writing’’ the minister’s aide said.