Reno Omokri, a frontline campaigner for the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, on Wednesday provoked anger when he asked the Nigerian Federal Government to arrest Peter Obi, Labour Party (LP) Presidential candidate, if he makes any treasonable statement.
The social media campaigner said nothing will happen if Obi is arrested.
Omokri was reacting in a tweet on Wednesday on Tuesday’s warning by Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, that Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, risked being prosecuted for treason over some of their utterances on the February 25 Presidential election.
Muhammed said Obi and his running mate were inciting people to violence over the outcome of the poll.
Recall that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had also fined Channels Television N5 million for allegedly violating the NBC code in a programme with Baba-Ahmed.
Baba-Ahmed in an interview with the station said Tinubu failed to fulfill the requirements stipulated in the section of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for election to the office of the president.
Lai Mohammed, who is in Washington to engage with international media organizations and think-tanks on the just concluded 2023 polls, said it is wrong for Obi on one breadth to seek redress in court over the outcome of the polls and on another breadth inciting people to violence.
“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.
“Obi’s statement is that of a desperate person, he is not the democrat that he claimed to be. A democrat should not believe in democracy only when he wins the election,” he said.
But the LP candidate refuted the allegations, saying he never discussed or encouraged anyone to undermine the Nigerian State.
Reacting to this development, Omokri in a tweet said: “The next time either Peter Obi or Datti Baba Ahmed open their mouths to make treasonous comments, the Federal Government should arrest them. Nothing will happen. What happened when FG arrested Nnamdi Kanu? Did heaven fall? Arrest the wimpy simps if they blab anyhow!”
Meanwhile, Nigerians have taken to the comment section to express anger over his tweet. Below are some of such comments:
@EnnyWizo wrote: “Let them try it and see if this country we called Nigeria will still remain.”
@IfeanyiObodo7 said: “Why are u guys obsessed with Peter Obi..? It was even Datti that granted that controversial interview but the establishment went and started checking Peter Obi’s calls for the last 3 years. Why this obsession? It is sickening.”
@foldmelv wrote: “I think it’s time we figured out this efulefu’s location I wanna figure out something, who’s with the coordinates? Share at once let’s find out something!!!!!”
@AmbGrant_ DeKing: “You can say whatever you like , you’re entitled to your opinion. Nnamdi Kanu and @PeterObi are two different people and represent different things to us. I dare the federal government to arrest them when @inecnigeria Chairman who put everyone in danger is still walking freely.”
@freetolive1002: “Please let just ignore Reno he is just looking for how to make mouth and headline when we abandoned him few weeks to election he was silent so don’t reply his tweet again because is our reply he is looking for”
@Vickyslim7: “Is better the federal Government arrests them than for you to be arrested by God, because i know yours is coming thick and fast and i will be here to be the first to mock you…..hater of Ndi-igbo you can’t pull us down.”
@IgnatiusAgom: “Even if u Reno come back to Nigeria nothing will happen. I mean it. After all El-zazaki was arrested nothing happened.”