The presidency has dismissed a claim made by Peter Obi,
standard bearer of the Labour Party (LP), that some of his supporters have been
“silently” arrested by security agencies.
On Saturday, there were reports on social media that
officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) allegedly arrested Joseph
Onuorah who flew in from France to attend the October 1 rally organised by
Obi’s supporters in Lagos.
Subsequently, Obi condemned the alleged incident in a series
of tweets.
But a source at the state house said Onuorah was only
“intercepted” at the Lagos airport for a matter that concerned him and not
because he is an Obi supporter.
“The democratic
process in Nigeria is free and fair and all candidates – whether those from the
established parties or minor ones – have the absolute constitutional and
God-given right to campaign openly and without hindrance,” the insider said.
“What is also the case is that anyone who breaks the law –
whether they are a supporter of the government party or opposition – must be
held to account for their actions.
“If, for instance, opposition parties’ supporters damage
private property in the course of a campaign, march or rally, should they not
be held to account if, for instance, governing party supporters defame an
opposition figure should they not be held to account? Of course, they all
should.
“What is however
known about a Labour Party member who was bailed by the party’s chairman in
Lagos State is that on 30/09/22, one Joseph Chimezie ONUORAH, Passport No:
A12553760, arrived Nigeria aboard Air France.
“He was intercepted about 22.30 hours at the E wing of MMIA
Lagos by the Nigerian Immigration Service, at the instance of the Lagos State
Police Investigation Bureau for an investigation that concerned him.”
The source said the claim was baseless and that statements
of fiction are not good for democracy.
“Accusations that individuals have been ‘silently arrested’
– and no one, frankly, knows what that description is supposed to mean – is an
example of a statement made by a politician without any known foundation with
the express intention of raising the temperature in this electoral contest,”
the insider said.
The source added that politicians have a duty to “refrain
from making statements or accusations that could lead to the raising of
tensions and make the prospect of aggressive physical behaviour more likely”.
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