The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has berated the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed for his recent media outbursts describing them as confirmation that he was defending an administration built on lies, empty ideas and fraudulent foundation.
CUPP, in a press statement signed by its spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, further noted that the outbursts were ploys to divert attention from ruling party’s plot to intimidate appeal court justices from nullifying President Muhammadu Buhari’s election over ineligibility.
The Colalition was reacting to two recent events; a video, currently trending, where Lai Mohammed claimed in a television interview that Buhari misplaced his certificate and should be pardoned for not being able to produce it after many years of leaving school.
Reacting to the video, the ministry did not deny the content of the interview, but only claimed that the interview was granted by Mohammed on January 22, 2015 when he was still the spokesman of the ruling party.
The Coalition stated that “Whether Mohammed granted the interview now or in 2015 as claimed, he has not denied the fact that he admitted in the interview that Buhari should be pardoned because he cannot produce his certificate.
“This very clear admission is very instructive because Buhari and his handlers had produced some questionable documents as his WAEC certificate.”
The group said his appeal for pardon for Buhari over his missing certificate had strengthened the case of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, with his confirmation that Buhari was ineligible at the time he ran for the election and provided false information on his qualification.
The Coalition requested the Buhari’s government to apologise to Nigerians for feeding them with lies and deceit, adding that, the only way to do it was for Buhari to relinquish the stolen mandate he had been enjoying since it was now clear that he has no certificate.
CUPP also condemned Mohammed for attributing the report being circulated on the social media of an alleged bomb explosion at the South African High Commission in Abuja to those he called desperate opposition bent on causing panic and chaos among the populace.
“We make bold to say that this is the most unfortunate statement that could have emanated from a spokesman of a government that claims to be high in integrity.
“This statement is baseless and useless. We therefore dare the minister and the government he serves to arrest those members of the opposition if he has facts that they are behind the news or he keeps his mouth shut.
“We know that with the judgement day of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal drawing closer, this administration has entered panic mode. We pity Mohammed and his principal because we know that all these antics are meant to intimidate members from nullifying Buhari’s election over his ineligibility.
CUPP therefore, strongly warned Mohammed and his co-travellers not to further push the country into instability with their unfounded and uncouth utterances and allegations.