Reports reaching our news desk indicate that tension is running high across the country, especially among the supporters of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
This is due to alleged plans by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to have him arrested. According to sources, the move is in response to the activities of Mr Obi, his running mate, Datti Ahmed, and their supporters following their loss in the February 25 presidential election.
The situation is said to have caused anxiety and fear among the LP faithful, who are calling on the authorities to intervene and ensure that their candidate is not unjustly targeted.
It can be recalled that Mr Peter Obi, his party, and supporters, who are popularly known as Obidients, had rejected the outcome of the recently concluded presidential election.
Despite his campaign efforts that galvanized many young and first-time voters, Mr Obi came in third place in the election, behind the winner, Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar.
Both Mr Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar had vowed to seek redress in court to overturn Bola Tinubu’s victory, after alleging that the electoral umpire was compromised to manipulate the results of the election.
The LP presidential candidate and his running mate had called for the cancellation of the results in several outings. On March 2, Mr Obi addressed a world press conference in Abuja, where he alleged that the election was programmed to deliver a predetermined outcome.
During his world press conference in Abuja on March 2, Mr Peter Obi had alleged that the election did not meet the necessary requirements and could not be adjudged credible.
He insisted that there was evidence to show that he had won the election. Mr Obi also criticized the election that brought Bola Tinubu, stating that it was not excellent and that the former Lagos governor does not deserve the title of “excellency”.
Mr Datti, the running mate of Mr Peter Obi, on Wednesday, during an interview with Arise Television, insisted that Bola Tinubu cannot be sworn in as the president of the country.
He declared that swearing in Tinubu would be “as good as swearing in a military regime.” According to Mr Datti, there was a constitutional breach during the presidential poll that produced Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as president-elect.
Tension building up over purported moves to arrest Mr Peter Obi and Mr Datti. These reports started when a Nollywood veteran actor, Kanayo O Kanayo, raised the alarm, alleging that there were plots to arrest Mr Obi.
In an Instagram post, the veteran actor said: “Peter Gregory Obi will soon be arrested. Watch Out. The conspiracy is brewing, you want to bet?”
Spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS), demanding the arrest of Mr Peter Obi and his running mate, Mr Datti Ahmed.
Mr Keyamo, who is also the current Minister of State for Labour and Employment, asked the DSS to arrest and prosecute Mr Obi and Mr Ahmed over alleged “incitement and treasonable felony.”
According to reports, in the petition addressed to the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), dated March 23, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, stated that in a post-election period such as this, there is a need to soothe frayed nerves, lower the temperature and begin the healing process.
However, the Minister noted that since the declaration of the Presidential election results, Mr Peter Obi and his running mate, Mr Datti Ahmed, have been allegedly making incendiary comments and claims regarding the declaration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Chief spokesperson of the Obi/Datti campaign council, Salisu Tanko, has tackled Festus Keyamo over his call for the arrest of Mr Peter Obi and Mr Datti Ahmed.
Mr Tanko reportedly questioned why Mr Keyamo and his cohort failed to call for the arrest of former Lagos State National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) chairman, Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as MC Oluomo, who allegedly incited religious violence during the gubernatorial elections in the state.
Mr Tanko reportedly stated that Mr Keyamo’s accusations against Mr Obi and Mr Ahmed were baseless.
“After the shameful Chatham House appearance, his principal was recorded telling key supporters to fight, snatch, grab and run with ballot boxes which was exactly what happened in the elections. Why didn’t Keyamo the ‘Patriotic citizen’ report to the DSS.
“Keyamo is just making baseless accusations, he’s a known Rabble rouser and chatterbox who doesn’t want to lose political relevance before his paymaster who has now seen him for what he is, which is a political paper weight, who has achieved nothing as a minister except posting fake news to rile up the polity on social media.”
An activist and staunch supporter of Peter Obi, Okoh Marcus, has warned that any attempt to arrest Mr Obi will set the entire nation ablaze. Mr Marcus reportedly stated that Nigerians are already fed up with the unending issues from old politicians who want to impose themselves on the people. He further warned that any attempt to touch Mr Obi would trigger the anger of the people.
He said, “Nigerians are already fed up with all these unending issues from these old politicians who want to impose themselves on us.
“Any attempt to arrest Obi will not go well with Nigeria. Let somebody try to touch that man, that is when the anger in us will come out. They should stop that rubbish.
He said, “Keyamo, the so-called patriotic citizen, didn’t report MC Oluomo who told Igbos not to vote in Lagos.
“If not for the case in court that has calmed Obidients, by now ‘EndSARS promax’ would have started”.
