Apologize to Nigerians For Lying About Coup Plot, PDP Tells Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, has been asked by the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to tender an apology for heating up the polity with baseless security breach allegations against the PDP and Atiku Abubakar, it's presidential candidate in the February 23 elections.

Lai Mohammed had earlier leveled an allegation that bordered on treason on the PDP and Atiku alledging that were trying to scuttle the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari come May29.

The former APC National Publicity Secretary, however, on Monday assured world leaders invited for the inauguration of their safety on the shores of the country.

Reacting to the contradiction between Lai's allegation and the assurance he later gave the world leaders across the globe, Kola's Ologbodiyan, the PDP spokesman, said the Minister's doublespeak has shown him to be a man given to fabrications in order to win popular sympathy for Buhari-led administration.

The PDP stated that for the Minister to turn around to assure that the country was safe after raising the initial false alarm, showed that his claims were not based on any concrete evidence other than having “no reason to doubt” claims by other individuals.

The statement said, “Moreover, the Minister’s claims that he relied on certain alarms fell flat as no agency in the country had ever accused the PDP, as a political party, or our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of ‘doing everything possible to sabotage the Buhari Administration, generally overheat the polity and make Nigeria seemingly ungovernable’ as claimed by Lai Mohammed.

“It is now clear that the whole essence of the misleading allegation was to heat up the system, attempt to cow democratic voices, divert public discourse from the rigging of the presidential election and scare the PDP and our presidential candidate from pursuing our stolen presidential mandate at the court.

“We also have fears that Alhaji Lai Mohammed could have made those wild claims in a bid to pave the way to frame, harass, arrest and detain some opposition figures on trump-up charges.

“Such antics have failed as Nigerians have seen through them and are resolute, behind Atiku Abubakar, in the determination to retrieve his mandate in the court, and no form of blackmail and intimidation will detract from that resolve.

“By his fabricated claims, the Information Minister only succeeded in further demarketing our dear nation in the international arena, causing more damage to investors’ confidence in our system and exposing this administration as purveyor of fake news.

“The PDP therefore invites Alhaji Lai Mohammed to apologise to the nation and desist from such acts of incitement”.