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•Insists Obi guilty of treason by association
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Government has explained why President Muhammadu Buhari did not interfere in the Adamawa State gubernatorial election debacle, insisting the responsibility to deal with the infraction by the suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa-Ari, rests with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed stated this while fielding questions from State House Correspondents, at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), President Buhari, yesterday.
He said the President did not intervene in the Adamawa State election crisis because he does not micromanage any institution of government.
Mohammed said he was not aware that a petition had been written to Buhari on the need to take action against Ari, who he stressed is an employee of the electoral body.
Recall that Ari had prematurely awarded the election victory to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani, even though collation was yet to be completed on the exercise.
INEC had consequently reported the REC to the appointing authority for appropriate action.
But asked to give the reaction of the Federal Government to the matter, Mohammed said: “I don’t think that this government has ever intervened in the way the Independent National Electoral Commission conducts its elections. So, there’s no need for us to intervene. It was an entirely an INEC matter and INEC handled it. The chairman of INEC is in charge of all employees INEC and he’s handling it. So, what do you want the government to do? The President does not micromanage any institution. “
The Minister also explained why he accused the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, of committing treason , saying that if his running mate had called for insurrection and he did not react, he stood guilty as charged.
“What I said about Mr Peter Obi is very clear. I said Mr Peter 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 will be the end of democracy.
“That was precisely what the running mate of Mr Peter Obi said on live television. And I have not heard Peter Obi rein him in or correct him. So if your running mate said something, of course, he is saying it on behalf of the party and that of the candidate. That’s why it’s an act of treason for anybody to say if a duly elected president in Nigeria is sworn in, that will be the end of democracy. “
The Minister explained that his US trip was to balance what he called the skewed reports on the recent general elections, which he said was “the most transparent, freest and authentic ever held despite the effort of the opposition to delegitimize or discourage the election. “
He also described the 2023 elections as the least violent in the country’s history.
Also speaking at the briefing, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said he was not aware that the Comptoller General of Immigration, Idaho Jere Idris, has been removed.
