May 02, (THEWILL) – Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 election, Peter Obi, has described the Federal Government’s waste of taxpayers’ money by going to Washington DC to announce that he committed treason, as a rascality of the highest order.
THEWILL reports that during a recent visit to Washington DC and London, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had accused Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, of committing treason.
Obi, while reacting to the accusation during an interview on Arise TV on Monday night, berated Mohammed for wasting taxpayers’ money on a wasteful and meaningless venture.
His words: “Saying I committed treason by Lai Mohammed is the height of rascality and it was even announced in Washington. I committed a treasonable offence and I was in Onitsha and my Minister went to announce it in Washington, when we talk about waste in governance here people don’t want to understand.
“The amount he spent travelling there can build a block of six classrooms in a primary school and I am sure if you go to his village, there are schools where children don’t even have desks. Instead of using that money to go and do it, he used that money to go to Washington to announce the treason of somebody who is in Onitsha.
“He doesn’t need to do that, it is rascality of the highest order, these are the reasons why we want a New Nigeria where things work as in other climes.
“From there, he went to London, announcing the same thing, whereas I am in Nigeria. He should have come to see me or invited me and said this is the offence.”
Obi also clarified that contrary to recent speculations and reports, he was neither arrested nor committed any offence in the United Kingdom.
The former Anambra Governor said he was only stopped for a routine immigration check, “because there appeared to be a duplication of my identity.”
Obi said contrary to news reports, the interview with the immigration official lasted for about 20 minutes, adding that he was “treated with all due respect” during the whole encounter.
He maintained that he never committed any offence in the UK from 1993 to 2005 when he lived in the country or was found wanting in any part of the world.
“I was never arrested; I was never detained and I didn’t commit any offence. I was stopped for a routine immigration check because there appeared to be a duplication of my identity.
“And all this lasted for a maximum of 20 minutes, and I was treated with all due respect. I lived in the UK from 1993 to 2005. Not just that I lived there, from 1993 till now, it is a period of 30 years.
“I have never been questioned, arrested, detained in any country in the world. I have never for any reason found myself in any manner being questioned over any offence.
“I have not committed any offence and it was a routine immigration check and it lasted less than 20 minutes.
“I was actually given all the due respect by the border personality that interviewed me and who told me ‘Your identity is duplicated – be careful’, and actually had to walk me through what I can call the VIP process. And I have a written document from the British Government clarifying the situation
“People said I was detained, committed an offence and several offences or that his company was closed, he wasn’t paying taxes.
“For the years I lived in Britain, never had I been questioned,” he said.
Also, responding to a question on an allegation that he could be a citizen of Solomon Island, Obi said the only country he is a citizen of is Nigeria, maintaining that he does not hold dual citizenship.
His words: “I have never been there all my life. The few places I have gone to in the Caribbean is Haiti. I was a Governor when they had the earthquake.
“Everybody close to me knows that I have been to the most troubled places in the world. So, when there was an earthquake in Haiti, I went to President Goodluck Jonathan and told him I was going to the country to help them rebuild and he (Jonathan) was surprised.
“That is what I have done all my life; I have been to the most troubled places in the world. I withdrew my son from school and we went to Haiti. I helped them to raise money then, over $200,000. So, I have been to Haiti and also Barbados, but I don’t know Solomon Island.
“I don’t own a property anywhere outside Nigeria, except in the UK where I live. Other than that, if there is a property in the name of Peter Obi, it is fake and I don’t need it. Why would I own a property where I don’t live?”
