“Contrary To Reports, I Was Never Arrested In London”- Peter Obi, Also Says Lai Mohammed’s Call For His Arrest In Washington For Acts Of Treason Is The Height Of Rascality

The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has described the allegation of treason leveled against him by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, as the height of rascality.

Recall that Mohammed recently made the allegation during a chat with international journalists in Washington DC in the United States of America. Mohammed accused Obi of inciting people to violence over the outcome of the February 25 presidential election, saying it was treasonable.

“Obi and his Vice, Datti-Ahmed cannot be threatening Nigerians that if the President-elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is sworn in on May 29, it will be the end of democracy in Nigeria. This is treason. You cannot be inviting insurrection, and this is what they are doing. A democrat should not believe in democracy only when he wins election,” he said.

Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, May 1, Obi condemned the allegation, even as he berated the Federal government over the resources expended towards the media rounds where Mohammed made the claim.

“That is the height of rascality. It was even announced in Washington. I committed a treasonable offence and I’m in Onitsha, and my minister went to announce it in Washington. This is the waste in governance we are talking about and people don’t want to understand. The amount it cost Nigeria for him to go and announce that in Washington can build a block of six classrooms in a primary school. I’m sure if you go to his village there are so many places where children don’t even have desk or classrooms to go to school.

Instead of using that money for this purpose, he went to Washington to announce treason against someone in Onitsha. He doesn’t need to do that. From there he went to London, announcing the same thing when I’m in Nigeria. He should have come to see me or invited me and tell me my offense,” Obi said

The former Anambra state governor also denied claims that he recently paid a visit to President-elect, Bola Tinubu.

Obi also said contrary to news reports, the interview with the immigration official lasted for about 20 minutes, adding that he was, “treated with all due respect” during the whole encounter.

He maintained that he never committed any offence in the UK from 1993 to 2005, when he lived in the country or found wanting in any part of the world.

He said, “I was never arrested; I was never detained and I didn’t commit any offence. I was stopped for a routine immigration check because there appeared to be a duplication of my identity.