6th April, 2023
By Rotimi Ijikanmi
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said criticisms of outcome of 2023 elections by pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, was because of their investment in Peter Obi of Labour Party who lost in the poll.
Peter Obi lost the election to Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Obi, who came third in the election has filed a petition to challenge the outcome of the election.
The Minister had dismissed claims that the election was marred with irregularities as alleged by Obi who had the support of Afenifere.
However, Afenifere had recently berated the minister for admonishing Obi for inciting people to violence over the outcome of the election.
“It is clear from what they said that Afenifere invested heavily on Peter Obi’s presidency, and they failed woefully, that is the reason why they are lamenting,” the minister responded to the Afenifere’s attack in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Washington.
He said the attack on him was borne out of frustration and anger on the loss of their investment on Obi’s election.
“It is clear from what they said that Afenifere invested heavily on Peter Obi’s presidency, and they failed woefully, that is the reason why they are lamenting.
“They have refused to get over the loss of what they invested in Obi’s presidency campaign.
“But the earlier they do, the better for them,’’ he said
The minister said that Afenifere had lost its reputation and relevance as the voice of the South-West.
“Fortunate were days when Afenifere sneezes the whole country will catch cold. It is not the same thing right now.
“When Afenifere talks and you begin to ask yourself, which Afenifere? you know what that means,’’ he said.
He stressed his position that there was no provision in INEC laws that allows the Commission to transmit the results of election electronically.
Mohammed said that the entire process from voting to collation to sorting to tabulation and transmission was manual.
He said the laws setting up INEC, gives the Commission the right to determine the mode of elections, the mode of collation and transmission of results.
The minister also responded to a call by a civic organisation, Integrity Group calling for his national apology over the admonition of Obi.
He said the group had failed to understand the position of the Federal Government on the unacceptable postures of the Labour Party presidential candidate
“I said Peter Obi and the Labour Party should stop inciting people to violence since they have submitted themselves to the election tribunal..
“They should stop asking people to go out on the streets, they should stop the reckless statement that if the President-elect is sworn-in, it will be the end of democracy,’’ he said.
(NAN)