12th September, 2023
Former chairperson of the Niger Delta Development Commission Lauretta Onochie has called for the arrest of Peter Obi, Labour Party presidential candidate, over his inciting statement.
Lauretta reacted to a video of Peter Obi, posted by Abubakar Sidiq Usman, where Obi told a church congregation, that prayers alone cannot effect leadership change, but civil uprising.
P.M. News could not conform whether the video was a recent one after Obi lost his case at the Presidential Election Petition Court or whether it was shot during the campaign when Obi notoriously courted pastors and christians to back his ‘religious war’ campaign.
Lauretta Onochie said if Obi was arrested over his inflammatory remark by the security agencies, the heavens will not fall.
Obi in his speech to the congregation cited the example of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines who he claimed was removed by the church.
Fact check showed that the removal of the dictator was not as simple as Obi painted it to his audience.
It was a mass uprising by over two million Filipino, who massed mostly on a long stretch of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, more commonly known by its acronym EDSA, in Metro Manila from February 22 to 25, 1986. February 22 was not even on a Sunday, but a Saturday.
The revolt also known as Yellow Revolution, due to the presence of yellow ribbons during demonstrations following the assassination of Filipino senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr in August 1983 upon his return to the Philippines from exile.
Among the protesters were several political and military groups, and religious groups led by Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila, along with Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines President Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, the Archbishop of Cebu.
Thus the revolt under reference was a people power revolt, not just a church matter.
But after listening to Obi’s inciting sermon, Lauretta Onochie was so irritated that he called for his arrest, in an X post, that has generated mixed reactions.
Read Lauretta’s post: “I think it’s high time you pulled in this clown. • He managed to win some and lost the most. Fair enough!
• Then, his running mate and other unpatriotic Angry Birds, began to instigate our youth to violence. • But our Noble and patriotic youth completely ignored them, because sensible youth in Nigeria, are more in number than his headless mob.
• Knowing he had no leg to stand on, he allowed himself to be foolishly led to the Tribunal by #Cashactivists, to pursue issues already decided by the Supreme Court, years ago.
• Then they tried using the Labour movement to call for (WARNING?) strikes around the PEPT judgement day. It failed woefully. Kudos to our youth population!
•This man, @PeterObi continues to instigate his headless and consequently, brainless followers to a violent change of government. I have never seen a more desperate individual.
• There’s something sinister and ominous about a man who came 3rd in a race and wants to be declared the winner, AT ALL COST!
• I think it’s high time he was pulled in to answer a few questions. Nigerians want to know why Peter Obi, is this desperate.
●Pull him in, heavens will not fall
• He did the right thing by seeking power through the ballot box. That’s legal!
God bless Nigeria.
The original video by Sidiq: