Keyamo petitions DSS, demands Obi, Datti’s arrest

• He’s a rabble-rouser, says Yunusa
• PDP suspends Fayose, Shema, Anyim
• My suspension, Ayu’s last kick of a dead horse – Fayose
• Ortom will not appear before PDP disciplinary committee, says Wike
• Protesters seek Interim govt, demand removal of INEC chair
• Adamawa APC reverses suspension of Mustapha

Minister of State, Labour and Employment and spokesperson of All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo (SAN) has petitioned the State Security Services (SSS), demanding the arrest and prosecution of Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, for allegedly inciting Nigerians over the outcome of the recently held presidential election.

In the petition addressed to the Director General of SSS, dated March 23, Keyamo said in a post-election period, there is a need to soothe frayed nerves, lower the temperature and begin the healing process.

“The President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, issued a statement to this effect a few days ago. However, it appears the President and Vice-Presidential candidates of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed, are not prepared to toe this conciliatory path for the sake of peace and national cohesion, whilst exercising their rights to pursue duly laid down constitutional means of addressing their grievances.” he stated.

Keyamo claimed that since the declaration of the presidential election results, the duo 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).

According to him, those comments and claims are made, not just within the boundaries of exercising their rights to freedom of speech and the freedom to air their grievances publicly, but they crossed the line to call for the outright truncation of democracy by insisting on the adoption of other processes outside the contemplation of the Constitution.

“In some cases, their privies have even called for the establishment of an Interim Government.

“The latest of such are the comments made by Datti Baba-Ahmed on behalf of himself and Mr. Peter Obi on Channels TV on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, wherein he threatened that if the president-elect is sworn in on May 29, 2023, it would ‘signal the end of democracy’.

“Posing as an accuser, a judge and a jury all by himself, he unilaterally declared the duly elected president-elect as ‘unconstitutional’ and, in a subliminal manner, threatened mayhem if the president-elect is sworn in on May 29, 2023.

“It is noteworthy that Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed have submitted elections petitions to the courts for adjudication, but their conducts and utterances amount to a subversion of the processes they have instituted in court and a subversion of our Constitution and the laid-down processes for addressing disputes and grievances. These conduct and utterances are a build-up to something more sinister and it is important you rein them in now!

“In the circumstance, I submit this petition in my personal capacity as a patriotic Nigerian to invite/arrest, interrogate and after investigation, if necessary, charge both individuals to court for their conducts, which amount to incitement and treasonable felony.”

But the chief spokesperson of the Obi/Datti Campaign Organisation, Dr. Tanko Yunusa in a swift response described Keyamo as a known rabble-rouser and chatter box, who doesn’t want to lose political relevance before his paymasters.

Yunusa said Baba-Ahmed is a free citizen of Nigeria and entitled to his fundamental right of freedom of expression, adding that he never called for insurrection or any act envisaging treason.

He said: “Keyamo talked about healing, that means Nigeria is sick, that means he recognised that the February 25 election, which announced his principal as the president-elect and the March 18 state elections, were marred with rigging, high level violence, voter suppression and intimidation, orchestrated by his party.

“Surprisingly, Keyamo who claims to be a ‘patriotic citizen’ closed his eyes to the ethnic and tribal vitriolic by his party and their supporters against non-Yoruba’s in Lagos. The so-called ‘patriotic citizen’ didn’t report MC Oluomo, who told Igbos not to vote in Lagos.

“After the shameful Chatham House appearance of Keyamo’s principal, he was recorded telling key supporters to fight, snatch, grab, and run with ballot boxes, which was exactly what happened in the elections.  Why didn’t Keyamo the ‘patriotic citizen’ report to the DSS?”

IN another development, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended a former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose, his Katsina State counterpart, Ibrahim Shema, as well as former President of the Senate, Anyim Pius Anyim, as well as two other party leaders.

The suspension, according to a statement by PDP’s national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, took effect from yesterday.

It also said that after very extensive review of the affairs of the party in the country and pursuant to the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017), it referred the governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom to the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) over his reported involvement in anti-party activities.

Other party leaders, who were equally suspended, were Prof. Dennis Ityavyar (Benue State) and Dr. Aslam Aliyu (Zamfara State).

The PDP urged all leaders, critical stakeholders and members across the country to remain united and focused “at this critical time.”

Sources within the party headquarters hinted that its leadership took the decision as part of measures to halt the G-5 group from carrying out its threat to effect leadership change immediately after the elections.

Leader of the G-5 group and governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has been talking about the urgent need to restructure the PDP.
Fayose has described his suspension from the PDP, by the Senator Iyorchia Ayu-led NWC “the last kick of a dead horse.”

Responding to his suspension, Fayose, through his Spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, said: “Ayu and his cohorts are only entertaining themselves with the purported suspension as their latest comedy skit.”

Wike said if anyone deserves to be suspended from the party, it is Ayu, who he accused of contravening the PDP constitution on the zoning of elective and appointive offices.

MEANWHILE, the last is yet to be heard of the controversy trailing the conduct of the general elections, as scores of protesters have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to put in place an interim government before he leaves office on May 29.

The protesters under the aegis of the National Youth League for the Defence of Democracy (NYLDD) also demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, by the SSS.

Led by Dr. Moses Paul, the protesters, who converged at the Abuja unity fountain to express their grievances, they also called for the probe of the finances of the electoral body.

Inscriptions on some of the placards brandished by the protesters read: “Voter suppression is a crime”, “Nigeria is not for sale”, “INEC keep your promises”, “Fraudulent election cannot produce a credible leader”, “Nigeria is not a zoo”, “Why can’t we have credible elections?”

The group argued that interim government was aimed at ensuring the appointment of a new INEC chairman that will conduct a free and fair election in the country.

They noted: “We are citizens of Nigeria, lovers of Nigeria, standing on the part of our Constitution and citizens’ rights, we are here particularly to address the greatest crime that has happened in the history of the world and in Nigeria. People were burnt in Kano, people were shot in Rivers, and we have seen the greatest inhumanity happened in Lagos State in the course of this election.

“We are making two demands: we are asking the President of this country to arrest immediately and prosecute INEC chairman, who has committed the greatest fraud in the history of humanity.

“Our number two demand is that we are asking for an interim government be put in place. We are saying that because we do not want President Buhari to continue, his tenure is ending, so, as a father he should put in place an interim government that will appoint another INEC chairman, who will conduct a free and credible election, and produce a befitting President for our country.”

When asked to provide another option if the two demands are not met, one of the co-conveners, Anngu Orngu, said they are harmless Nigerians, “but we will use every other civil and lawful means to make sure that our demands are met.

“We are here as frustrated Nigerians and the fundamental rights of Nigerians have been trampled upon by Yakubu-led INEC and we are here calling for his immediate resignation. We have also requested that DSS should arrest him, and he should be prosecuted by the EFCC.

“We have been to the American Embassy, we have been to the British Council in Nigeria, and we have also submitted letter to the French embassy, calling on them to advice the Nigerian government that people are not happy. We are not happy over what happened,” the protesters insisted.

Also, PDP in Adamawa State has asked INEC chairman to remove the Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Mr. Hudu Yunusa, before the conduct of the re-run governorship election.

Addressing journalists, yesterday, in Yola, one of the party’s leaders, Mr. Felix Tagwami, said Yunusa has exhibited enough evidence that he is card-carrying member of APC.

He said that for credibility of INEC’s image, Yunusa cannot preside over the re-run governorship without causing chaos in the state.

He said: “Yunusa’s phone communication with the Returning Officer of Fufore Local Government is a clear indication that he was in Adamawa State to execute a criminal and unlawful agenda.”

Tagwami pointed out that for peace and harmony in Adamawa State, the Commission should deploy a new God-fearing REC to takeover from Yunusa and conduct the re-run governorship poll.

“Prof. Mahmoud should ask Yunusa to mention the ‘person from above’ as he said in his phone conversation with Furfore Returning Officer, that directed him to ensure that the woman wins the governorship poll,” he said.

He said that the statement indicted INEC chairman, as the head of the Commission and that Mahmoud should speak to clear his name.

He warned that his party would not tolerate any attempt to shortchange the rights of the Adamawa people to vote a candidate of their choice.

SIMILARLY, the Adamawa state executive members of the APC have described the suspension of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha, by his ward, as an exercise in futility.

The state chairman of the party, Mr. Samaila Tadawus, said the alleged suspension of the SGF by his ward “is a joke take too far.”

He said: “APC Adamawa State chapter has reversed the alleged recent suspension of Boss Mustapha by the party exco in it’s Gwadabawa Ward, Yola North Local Government Area.”

The visibly angry Tadawus accused the opposition party of sponsoring the suspension ahead of the coming re-run in the state.

Tadawus, who described the suspension as unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect based on the Constitution of the party, directed all opposition parties to stay away from APC activities.

The APC state chairman directed the Yola-North local government executive committee to constitute a disciplinary committee to recommend appropriate actions against those that were involved in what he described as the “disgraceful action.”