Alleged treason: FG should stop harassing Obi — Adebanjo, Eleazu

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Alleged treason: FG should stop harassing Obi — Adebanjo, Eleazu

Leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo and Chairman, Board of Trustees of Anya Ndigbo, Dr Uma Eleazu, on Tuesday, lampooned the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed for accusing the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi of making making treasonable comments.

They also frowned at the ethnic profiling and harassment of Igbo residents in Lagos noting that those playing up such cards are political rascals.

Pa Adebanjo and Dr Eleazu said this in Lagos when members of Anya Ndigbo paid the Afenifere leader a courtesy visit for supporting the South East during the Presidential election.

Members of the group included chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr Uma Eleazu; Mr Emeka Ugboju, chairman, Anambra State Department Union, Chief Amaechi Ebeledike, Mr Ikechukwu Amaechi and Miss Mildred.

Nobody can harass anybody – Adebanjo

The Afenifere leader, who condemned the Federal Government’s threat to arrest the LP presidential candidate, Mr Obi and his running mate, Mr Datti Baba-Ahmed, said necessary steps should be taken to arrest and prosecute Obi and Datti if they are found culpable of treason.

He said: “Anyone who knows Lai Mohammed should not take him seriously. He should not be a judge in his own cause. Where was he when MC Oluomo was issuing his threat during the elections? 

“We have had enough of these irresponsible statements coming from this Government and that is why the government has lost confidence of the people. Nobody can harass anybody because they are government. It is the same thing they are doing by trying to gag the press. This country belongs to all of us and we are going to be judged by the rule of law and not by the rule of Lai Mohammed or Buhari. If they have evidence, arrest him, prosecute him and jail him.” 

Adebanjo, who faulted the continued ethnic profiling and harassment of Igbo people resident in Lagos, said those who are involved are political rascals.

The Afenifere leader said: “Myself and my organisation were the first to insist that it is the turn of the South East to produce the presidency. The Labour Party had not done its primary then. We insisted that justice must be justice. When Afenifere supported Obi, we made a strong press statement.

“The Yoruba people who are involved in ethnic profiling are the political rascals. When Chief Immanuel Iwuayanu spoke, they turned it around and said he called Yoruba people rascals. They know 

themselves. The MC Oluomo and co and those who sponsor him. Some of the chiefs who carried Oro on the day of the elections, you are asking people to go away. What about those who you made your Director of Budget and members of your cabinet? It shows insincerity in the whole thing. Because some people did not vote for you, you now castigate a whole tribe. What about those who voted for you?

“Some Igbo people voted for the APC. Ask Bola Tinubu and Babajide Sanwo-Olu: when did the enmity between them and the Igbo people begin? Was it before or after you appointed them into your cabinet? Is it before the elections or after the elections? What is the position of Joe Igbokwe? When they want to make mischief, they make mockery of a genuine agitation. Lagos is a cosmopolitan city and nobody disputes that it is a Yoruba land, nobody disputes that it belongs to the people of Lagos. They should not bring such untenable arguments that make people ridicule us.”

FG’s allegation makes no sense – Eleazu

Earlier in his remarks, leader of the delegation, Dr Eleazu said the Federal Government’s allegation against Obi and his running mate does not make sense.

He said: “We have watched Lai Mohammed since he became the Minister of Information and he has always been in the business of misinforming people in his role as Minister of Information.

“What is insurrection? Can he give us a legal meaning of insurrection. The DSS and other security agencies tell us that some people are trying to take over the country. One thing I have learned about the Buhari administration is that they are good in drawing up red herrings and as you are following it, they will be doing what they want to do.

“Like Pa Adebanjo said if they have any real reason and facts to support what they have said, why don’t they make arrest? Why do we have the DSS or Police intelligence? Why don’t they bring the person involved to court to defend himself? What they do is to throw out a statement hanging in the air only to strike fear. So, I will dismiss whatever he (Lai Mohammed) had said as absolute nonsense. It does not make sense.”

Ethnic profiling should be frowned at 

Frowning at the continued harassment of Igbo people resident in Lagos, Eleazu, who is also a leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said: “There is a reason why we came. We came to thank you for standing by the South East and for supporting the ObiDatti movement.

Unfortunately, the do-or-die politics was introduced in Nigeria. The elections are over and we felt that the do or die politics should have stopped but it was carried on. By the time we got to the governorship elections, we started seeing some kind of incidious insinuations which in local parlance they call ethnic profiling and we know the danger it has caused in this world.

“We have seen ethnic profiling in Rwanda and the consequences.

We felt that after the elections, it will die down. The elections are over and people are still going to burn shops, markets are being closed.

“Elections are over and the things happening now are not what we expected to see. The elections are over but some people are acting out the template of their masters. People of goodwill should not allow this to go on.”