Edwin Clark seeks prosecution of Lai Mohammed over “fake news” on Peter Obi

The Leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), Edwin Clark, on Monday said the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, should be immediately prosecuted for allegedly spreading fake news against the presidential candidate of Labour Party in the February 25 election, Peter Obi.

In a statement sent to TrackNews , Clark said Mohammed’s recent visit to the United States where he accused Obi of treason “is an effort in futility”.

He wondered why the Minister “took more than usual interest” in not only “lying” against Obi, adding that the “rising profile” of the former Anambra State governor cannot be damaged by the ruling government.

This newspaper recalls that last week, the Nigerian government accused Obi of treason, weeks after the candidate of the ruling party won a hotly-contested presidential election.

Mohammed gave the government’s position during engagements with journalists in Washington DC in the United States, accusing the Labour Party candidate and his running mate (Yusuf Datti), of inciting people to violence over the outcome of the presidential elections. According to him, it is treasonable.

Obi came third in the 25 February presidential election won by Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Obi and Atiku Abubakar who came second are, however, challenging the results of the election in court, saying the election and result collation was flawed. Both men have publicly called on their supporters to refrain from violence while they challenge the results in court.