The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has disagreed with the Federal Government over the treason allegation leveled against the Labour Party (LP) in the just concluded election, Peter Obi.
OsunDaily News reported that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had warned the LP flagbearer against inciting Nigerians to violence over the outcome of the presidential election.
In an interview with some foreign media organizations in Washington, United States on Tuesday, Mohammed said it is wrong for Obi to seek redress in court over the outcome of the presidential election and on the other hand, incite people to violence.
The minister said the statement by Obi’s running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, should not be sworn in as president amounted to treason.
In a chat with The Punch on Tuesday, NNPP spokesman, Major Agbo, said Obi had the right to freedom of expression, and to the best of his knowledge, the LP candidate had not committed any reasonable offense.
Agbo said people shouldn’t be scared of expressing themselves at any time in a democratic government, stressing that freedom of speech is still one of the fundamental human rights of any citizen.
He, however, challenged the federal government to charge Obi to court if they had sufficient evidence to support the treason allegation leveled against him.
Agbo said, “We are in a democracy. Peter Obi has the right to say whatever he wants to say. Even if what he said is wrong, is that sufficient to call it treason and call for his arrest?”
