The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has taken a swipe at the Information and
Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed for accusing opposition parties as
the mastermind of hate speeches currently threatening the unity of the
Nigerian State.
In a press statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, National
Caretaker Committee of the PDP, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the party expressed
shock at the Minister’s outburst even as it described the statement as
another lie from Alhaji Mohammed.
“The Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is taken aback over
the recent vituperation by the Honourable Minister of Information and
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in which he accused opposition in the Country
as being responsible for hate speeches, disinformation and fake news. How
convenient! This is another lie from Lai Mohamned!! “Mr. Minister is
invited to review his past speeches/statements as Spokesman of opposition
ACN/APC and then he will agree with us that the APC leaders/members are
the architects and sustainers of hate speeches in our dear Country,
Nigeria,” the PDP scribe wrote in a statement. Adeyeye further said the
Minister ought not to forget easily that in the past, he similarly took on
the ruling party while he was in the camp of the opposition.
“In case Lai Mohammed has forgotten, let us remind him and his Parties,
the ACN & APC that in their desperate quest to grab power by all means,
organized and carried out series of campaigns of calumny as opposition
designed to mislead the public, discredit the person and Office of past
PDP led administrations especially, that of the immediate past President,
Dr. Goodluck E. Jonathan, GCFR in order to cause disaffection amongst
Nigerians against his government.
“Alhaji Lai Mohammed as the Spokesman of ACN at a press conference in
April 2013 raised a false alarm alleging that the Federal government of
Nigeria under President Jonathan had awarded an oil pipeline protection
contract to serve as a smokescreen in funding activities that would create
chaos in the South-West region. Of course, it turned out that no such
contract was ever awarded by the Jonathan Administration. “Still in April
2013, the ACN Spokesman now Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji
Lai Mohammed mischievously alleged that President Jonathan had issued a
Presidential Directive targeted at witch-hunting the Former Governor of
Lagos State and Leader of the ACN , Bola Tinubu in order to stop the
Merger of the Party with other political parties. This also turned out to
be a hoax,” the statement continued.
The PDP also added that apart from the Minister, other prominent members
of the APC also made speeches capable of causing disharmony in the land
prior to the 2015 polls. ” Also before the 2015 General Elections, the
Chairman of APC, Chief John Oyegun in November 2014, vowed to form a
parallel government if the elections were rigged. His statement was later
re-echoed by the Presidential Campaign Director-General of the APC, Mr.
Rotimi Amaechi, and now Minister for Transport,” the statement noted,
adding that “talk about distractions, intimidation, harassments and hate
speeches defines the APC leaders and members.
“Let us not forget the Infamous inflammatory statements by General
Muhammadu Buhari that caused wide spread violence and killings of
Nigerians in the 2011 General Elections. The General repeated almost the
same statement on the 14th of May 2012 in Kaduna State when some CPC
members from Niger State paid him a visit. He was quoted to have incited
his supporters saying “…if what happened in 2011 should again happen in
2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in
blood.’’ Till date, President Muhammadu Buhari has neither refuted the
statement nor offer any explanation for it. What could be more hateful
than such a call for pogrom or mass murder of innocent Nigerians? The list
of such hateful and inciting speeches by the APC leaders and especially
their erstwhile spokesman is endless. It was a period of one lie, one day.
All in the desperate bid to grab power at all cost. Now that they have the
power,they don’t know what to do with it,” wrote Adeyeye lamentably.
“Lai Mohammed and indeed any of the APC leaders for that matter are not in
the position to teach any lessons on appropriate public speeches. They
should first apologize to Nigerians for their serial lies, inciting and
hate speeches with which our people were deceived into believing that they
had something to offer. They should then undergo the serious ritual of
self purgation without which there will be a constant relapse into their
goebbellian tactics as we continue to witness. It is so ironic that those
who haul mud at people do not ever want sand thrown at them. If you are
not ready to take the heat you better leave the kitchen,” it stated.
The PDP further said the Minister was merely trying to compensate for the
failure of government to deliver on promises made, urging Nigerians not to
be deceived. “Lai Mohammed’s statement must be seen for what it is: a
desperate attempt to divert attention from his government’s woeful
failures. When this government first assumed office we were inundated with
daily sermons of how terribly the PDP had destroyed the Economy. Now that
it appears that cliche is well worn out they must find so called hate
speeches by the Opposition to blame for their woes.
“Our advice to the APC Government is that it should concentrate on doing
the business of the people and to endeavour to speak the truth always.
Lies can take you thus far but in the end it cannot be an alternative to
the truth,” wrote Adeyeye.