Keyamo Petitions DSS Over ‘incendiary comments’ by Obi, Datti
Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest and prosecute Labour Party (LP) presidential and vice presidential candidates, Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed, respectively.
Keyamo accused Obi and Datti of making incendiary comments that were capable of causing rebellion and incitement to violence.
The minister, who is also the chief spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), made the petition in a statement addressed to the Director General State Services on Thursday, March 23.
Keyamo stressed the need to soothe frayed nerves, lower the temperature, and begin the healing process, especially in a post-election period, stating that the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had issued a statement to that effect a few days ago.
However, the minister observed that it appears Obi and Datti are not prepared to toe the conciliatory path for the sake of peace and national cohesion, even while exercising their rights to pursue duly laid down constitutional means of addressing their grievances.
The duo, according to Keyamo, have been hopping from one media house to the other, making incendiary comments and claims about the declaration of the President-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He accused them of calling for the outright truncation of democracy by insisting on adopting other processes outside the contemplation of the constitution and even calling for establishing an interim government.
Keyamo singled out the comments made by Datti Baba-Ahmed on behalf of himself and Obi on Channels TV on Wednesday, March 22, wherein he threatened that if the President-elect is sworn in on May 29, it would “signal the end of democracy” and unilaterally declared the duly elected President-elect as “unconstitutional.”
He claimed that Obi and Datti have also camped some youths in a popular hotel in Abuja to instruct them to push out inciting messages daily on social media to cause panic fear within the federation and incite people to riot and social unrest.
Keyamo acknowledged that the former Anambra governor and Datti had submitted election petitions to the courts for adjudication. But the minister said their conduct and utterances amounted to a subversion of the processes they have instituted in court and a subversion of the Nigerian Constitution and the laid-down processes for addressing disputes and grievances.
He warned that the LP presidential flagbearers’ conduct and utterances were a build-up to something more sinister, and urged the security agency to “rein them in” immediately.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party (LP) has dismissed calls by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the arrest of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, over alleged treasonable felony.
Spokesperson of the LP Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, stated that Datti is a free citizen of Nigeria and is entitled to his fundamental right of freedom of expression.
Tanko also stressed that Datti never called for insurrection or any act envisaging treason.
He further called out Keyamo for recognizing that the elections were marred with blatant rigging, violence, voter suppression, and intimidation orchestrated by his party.
He pointed out Keyamo’s failure to report MC Oluomo, who told Igbos not to vote in Lagos, accusing the minister of ignoring the ethnic and tribal vitriol by his party and their supporters.
Tanko also criticized Keyamo for not reporting Tinubu, who, according to him, was recorded telling key supporters to fight, snatch, grab and run with ballot boxes during the elections.
According to Tanko, Keyamo has achieved nothing as a minister except posting fake news to rile up the polity on social media.
