According to Mr. Mohammed, INEC decided to halt the upload due to a possible cyberattack.

“INEC withheld the uploading of the results to preserve the integrity of the data, suspecting a hack,” he stated.

But, Mr. Mohammed’s assertion differs with what INEC notified Nigerians the day following the poll on February 25.

The commission had assured Nigerians that technological difficulties, not sabotage or cyberattack, were to blame for its inability to upload the results.

Festus Okoye, a spokesman for INEC, said at the time, “Thus, the Commission wishes to assure Nigerians that the issues are not due to any entry or sabotage of our systems, and that the IReV remains well-secured.”

During his official interactions with a few international media organizations in Washington, D.C., Mr. Mohammed provided the government’s stance.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the minister is in Washington to discuss the recently completed 2023 elections with foreign media outlets and think tanks.

It also mentions interactions the minister has had with the “Washington Post,” “Voice of America,” “Associated Press,” and “Foreign Policy Magazine” thus far.

During the presidential and National Assembly elections that were conducted on February 25, INEC had faced criticism for not being able to upload results right away to its Result Viewing portal.

According to Mr. Mohammed, the controversy was caused by INEC’s failure to immediately upload the results of the presidential election.

Despite serving as the center of the opposition to the election’s case, he claimed that the dispute was unnecessary.

However, he claimed that the opposition’s conclusion was founded on a lack of understanding of the purpose and duties of IREV.

He asserted that IREV, a platform for uploading polling-level election results, was not intended for collating or virtually transmitting election results.

According to Mr. Mohammed, the administration of election results in Nigeria is manual and the court has decided that INEC has the sole authority to choose the method of the election, its collation, and its transmission.

“What happened on the 25th of February was that INEC observed that the results of the presidential election were not being viewed,” the minister said.

Despite serving as the center of the opposition to the election’s case, he claimed that the dispute was unnecessary.

However, he claimed that the opposition’s conclusion was founded on a lack of understanding of the purpose and duties of IREV.

He asserted that IREV, a platform for uploading polling-level election results, was not intended for collating or virtually transmitting election results.

According to Mr. Mohammed, the administration of election results in Nigeria is manual and the court has decided that INEC has the sole authority to choose the method of the election, its collation, and its transmission.

“INEC, suspecting cyberattack, withheld the uploading of the results in order to preserve the integrity of the data.

“It immediately proceeded to float an alternative platform while asking its technicians to investigate what happened to its original portal.”

Mr. Mohammed continued by saying that the alternative site didn’t begin operating until 9 p.m.

He claimed that as soon as the original portal got going, the outcomes could be watched on both platforms.

Four out of the 18 political parties in Nigeria are contesting the presidential election results right now, claiming that INEC failed to post the results to its IREV portal and committed other irregularities.

On March 1, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is currently in power, was named the election’s victor.

Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party are two candidates who are contesting the findings. The Presidential Election Tribunal has since received their applications.

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Obi responded to a charge of treason brought against him by the federal government through Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the minister of information.

The LP candidate stated, “During the past few days, I’ve noticed a number of campaigns of smear directed at my person, with the most recent being charges ascribed to the information Minister, Lai Mohammed from Washington DC.

“It is most unfortunate that these consistent efforts to portray me quite contrary to what I am, and my core values, is coming from such high quarters. Minister Lai accusing me of stoking insurrection is totally malicious and fictitious.”

“I have never discussed or encouraged anyone to undermine the Nigerian state; I have never sponsored or preached any action against the Nigerian state. Those initiating these actions have increasingly used their official positions and agents to make false allegations against me.

“I am on record as always, advocating for peace and issue-based campaign and never campaigned based on ethnicity or religion. I am committed to due process, and presently seeking redress in the Court.

“I urge those engaged in this demarketing process to stop presenting Nigeria in such bad light. Our future generations deserve a new Nigeria, where they can live a secure and decent life like their counterparts in other climes. It is possible.”

On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Washington DC, the minister engaged in discussions about the recently concluded 2023 elections with international media outlets and think tanks. He claimed that Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba Ahmed Yusuf, have been encouraging insurrection ever since they lost the presidential election on February 25.

“Obi and his Vice, Datti Ahmed, cannot be threatening Nigerians that the country’s democracy will come to an end on May 29 if Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is inaugurated in as president, stated Lai Mohammed.

“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 a democrat that he claimed to be.”, Lai Mohammed said

The post ‘Treason allegation against me malicious,’ – Peter Obi appeared first on PostNigeria.

Speaking to journalists in Washington, DC, government spokesperson Lai Mohammed explained the administration’s position.

The Labour Party’s Peter Obi has been charged with treason for allegedly inciting violence over the results of the presidential elections, according to Mr. Mohammed, the outgoing government’s minister of information.

In the presidential contest held on February 25 and won by Bola Tinubu of the ruling APC, Mr. Obi finished third. However, Mr. Obi and Atiku Abubakar, who came in second, are contesting the election results in court, claiming that the poll and result collation were defective. Both men have publicly called on their supporters to refrain from violence while they challenge the results in court.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Mohammed is in Washington to discuss the recently concluded 2023 elections with foreign media organizations and think tanks.

In addition, it highlights the minister’s interactions with the “Washington Post,” Voice of America, Associated Press, and Foreign Policy Magazine thus far.

The minister stated during the several meetings with the media outlets that it was improper for Mr. Obi to, on the one hand, seek legal redress over the election results and, on the other hand, instigate violence.

“Obi and his Vice, Datti-Ahmed, cannot scare Nigerians with the end of democracy if Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is inaugurated on May 29,”

“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 a democrat that he claimed to be.

“A democrat should not believe in democracy only when he wins election,” he said.

The minister claimed that neither Mr. Obi nor Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, had any chance of winning if the election results were challenged (PDP).

“Not only must he have the plurality of votes cast in an election, he must also have scored one-quarter of votes cast in at least 25 states.

“Only the president-elect met the criteria by scoring 8.79 million votes and having one-quarter of all the vote cast in 29 states of the federation,” he said.

According to the minister, Atiku received 6.9 million votes, placing second, but only garnering 25% of the ballots cast across 21 states.

He claimed that even though Mr. Obi received 5.8 million votes, he only received 25% of the votes polled in the 15 states.

“You cannot win an election in a poll where you came a distant third position and failed to meet constitutional requirements.

“Peter Obi, while complaining of fraud, has not disowned his victory in Lagos,” he said.

Atiku and Obi are currently contesting the results of the presidential election on February 25 in court.

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Obi came under fire for calling the 2023 presidential election a “religious war” since he was heard pleading for Oyedepo’s support in the now-viral recording that was published by an online publication, People’s Gazette, on Saturday.

Obi requested assistance from the priest in getting the word out to his supporters in the Southwest and North-central states.

The leaked audio, yesterday, generated heated conversations and controversies on social media with many Nigerians condemning Obi for championing religious-driven campaign in a multi-dimensional country like Nigeria.
The conversation went thus:

Obi: Good morning, daddy.
Oyedepo: Praise the Lord, how are you sir?
Obi: Fine daddy, good morning sir.

Oyedepo: Amen, in Jesus name, we are going to get bright results.
Obi: Thank you, daddy. When I hear these your calls and prayers, daddy, it’s very dear to me. Like I keep saying, if this works, you people will never regret the support.
Oyedepo: Amen! Amen! We look forward to God’s intervention.
Obi: Thank you, daddy. I need you to speak to your people in Southwest and Kwara, the Christians in South West and Kwara, this is a religious war.

Oyedepo: I believe that… I believe that… I believe that… You know I did a release ‘Nigeria Going Forward’ and I am coming with the second one today. I wanted it out when they won’t have any time to do damage control. But in the name of Jesus, this would be a success. You know what I said in today’s own? A sickling nation like Nigeria will require a strong and healthy personality. I said anyone whose source of wealth could not be verified should not have access to governance. So, all we are doing is appealing to the conscience of people to know where to go. But I want to assure you, in the name of Jesus, that the result will be favourable.

Obi: Thank you, daddy.
Oyedepo: So, relax yourself don’t be apprehensive. Are you in Lagos or Abuja?
Obi: I am in Onitsha, now.
Oyedepo: So, you will be there for the election?
Obi: Yes sir.
Oyedepo: Very good, that is where to be, I say all Nigerians have an equal stake, nobody has the right to claim that he is dashing something to someone, we are coming out of it, so, how is the East, generally?
Obi: East is okay. East is correct.
Oyedepo: And the Middle Belt?
Obi: It is okay, Middle Belt is okay, but places like Kogi, Kwara and Niger are worrisome places.
Oyedepo: We will get to Kwara
Obi: Fantastic, I went to Kwara and visited Olofa of Offa who told me that nobody had ever come here, with you, no problem, but the Christian community in Kwara and Niger, and I am also working in Kogi same way.
Oyedepo: Okay then, I will target this clip to them; I will make sure it gets to them.
Obi: Thank you, I will be looking forward to the release, as well, please send it to me.
Oyedepo: Okay, I will do that, God bless you.
Obi: Thank you, daddy.

But, the phone conversation leak has confused the LP candidate’s media staff. A member of the media team, Kenneth Okonkwo, acknowledged the audio’s authenticity while veteran broadcaster and head of the Obi-Datti Media Office Diran Onifade rejected it as a complete hoax and a creation of the APC’s propaganda machine in a statement made in Abuja on Sunday.

A few hours following Diran’s speech, Okonkwo responded via a series of tweets on his Twitter account, explaining that the audio had been misinterpreted by Obi’s opponents.

“It appears the APC’s desperation to grab and keep power by corrupt means has refused to go away more than a month after they had grabbed the election as they planned,” Onifade had said in a statement released in the early hours of Sunday.

“While we are toeing the constitutional path to retrieve our mandate, those who have truncated the wishes of the majority of Nigerians have recoursed to mischief and endless subterfuge to continue to hold on to what they know does not belong to them.

“From the show of shame in Port Harcourt to the drama in the Ibom Air aircraft, both of which they contrived, they have now moved to the circulation of a deep fake audio file aimed at promoting religious tension in the country.

“All these are meant to serve no other purpose than egregious mischief aimed at demarketing Peter Obi.  If the goal is to create a credibility problem, the ploy has failed woefully.

“Peter Obi has long been on record as the only presidential candidate, who has urged the Nigerians electorate not to vote for him on the basis of religion or tribe.”

While confirming the authenticity of the same audio, Okonkwo wrote: “Our attention has been drawn to the publication of this audio tape of private conversation between Obi and Bishop Oyedepo. It is not surprising that these political criminals are trying to spin the conversation, as if Obi was making a religious statement.

“Firstly, the context of the conversation was aptly put by Oyedepo when he said ‘All Nigerians have equal stake in this nation, nobody has the right to claim that he is dashing something to someone.’

“Obi was simply urging the Bishop to help him push this message of equal stake of all Nigerians in the Nigerian project to his people and the Christendom because the politicians of the other party is carrying on this campaign as if it is a religious war.

“He further explained that the traditional ruler of Offa, the Olofa of Offa, who is a Muslim, advised Obi to get the support of Oyedepo and be assured of his own support. This, he said, happened during a visit to the traditional ruler.

“According to him, no politician has ever visited the Olofa of Offa. It is clear to everybody that the APC has a presidential candidate, vice presidential candidate, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, National Chairman of the party all from one religion at a time the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) is a Muslim is the party that has declared religious war on Nigerians and we must all rise up together to fight this unconstitutional act of religious intolerance of other religions by APC.”

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council’s spokesman, Festus Keyamo, called the statements made by Oyedepo and Obi “shameful.”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) asserts that God exposed Obi for starting a religious conflict in a nation with many different religions and ethnic groups.

“Having confirmed the authenticity of what is now known as the Peter Obi ‘Yes-daddy’ audio, I think the real culprit here are the so-called ‘men of God’ who allowed themselves to be used by an unscrupulous politician to seek to inflame religious passions in our dear country in the name of politics.

“So, when they were telling their hapless adherents that they heard the voice of the Lord, it was actually Peter Obi’s telephone calls they heard and not God’s voice. This is deceitful, shameful and disgusting. Imagine a so-called ‘man of God’ comparing notes with a politician as to what he said or what he would say on the pulpit to get him votes.

“I hope this sufficiently embarrasses the ‘men of God’ in Nigeria to forthwith desist from using the pulpit for politics and the Church-goers to stop being teleguided by their self-serving ‘men of God’.

“As for Peter Obi who declared an election a ‘religious war’ in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country like ours, the real God has just exposed him and his dream to be Nigeria’s President one day has just died a natural death. ‘Yes-daddy’ is now permanently etched in the consciousness of the nation and we will never forget it!”

On the other hand, Oyedepo claimed on Sunday that he has never advocated for a politician or addressed a group on their behalf.

This was said by Oyedepo during a worship session at the church’s main location in the Ota region of Ogun State. The cleric stated that he has never spoken to a group on behalf of a politician, although not mentioning any audio conversations.

Before the general elections, he said that leaders from various political parties in the nation sought his counsel and prayed to him.

Nobody has ever instructed me on what to say in this world, he continued. No. I have never advocated for anyone or spoken on their behalf, and I won’t till I enter paradise.

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The Department of State Services had been entrusted with the care of Nwajagu, the Command also revealed.

Nwajagu was taken into custody during a midnight raid, according to SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Lagos Command, who verified the arrest.

He stated, “The procedure was completed at midnight. He wasn’t met by the security guards in his residence. However, we discovered through espionage that he had stayed in a motel in Ejigbo.

“He was traced to the location and arrested around 1 am. “He is currently in the DSS custody where he is being investigated,” he said.

As of the time this story was filed, Peter Afunaya, the DSS spokesperson, had not yet made a statement regarding the arrest of the Eze Igbo.

Remember that Nwajagu was detained by DSS agents for allegedly threatening to safeguard Igbo property in the state by inviting members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to Lagos.

Vanguard learned that the DSS and the police worked together to select the Igbo leader in the wee hours of Saturday.

Prior to his arrest, Nwajagu reportedly threatened to call IPOB members to Lagos to defend some Igbo people and their property in a 49-second video that has since gone viral on Twitter.

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According to the agency, the conspiracy is a “aberration and a malicious” attempt to disregard the constitution, undermine civil authority, and throw the nation into a preventable crisis.

According to a statement by the SSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, the planners have considered a number of options during their numerous meetings, including, among others, funding unending violent mass rallies in key cities to support the creation of a State of Emergency.

“Another is to get baseless court orders to prevent the installation of new executive and legislative branches.”, Mr Afunanya said.

Atiku has called the result “a rape of democracy” after getting 29 per cent of the votes and Mr Obi, who got 25 per cent, told supporters they had been “robbed” of victory, and said the election is “worst in Nigeria’s recent history.”

An interim government would prevent Mr Tinubu from being inaugurated as president on May 29 as constitutionally expected.

The SSS issued a statement warning individuals organizing to undermine democracy in the nation to back off from their plans and orchestrations.

In order to prevent being used as tools to undermine the peace and stability of the country, it asked all relevant parties, including the judiciary, media, and civil society, to exercise caution and vigilance.

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The incident happened early on Tuesday. The fire’s origin and extent, however, are yet unknown.

The fire started at “32 Balogun plaza, where women’ shoe merchants located,” according to a witness.

Jubril Gawat, a media representative for the state governor, confirmed the incident and stated that “two divisions of our Lagos Fire Service are on ground already.”

According to him, firefighters from the United Bank of Africa are assisting state agents in putting out the fire.

The post Balogun market in Lagos gutted by fire appeared first on PostNigeria.

Diya passed away at 79 years old.

“On behalf of the family, Lawyer Prince Oyesinmilola Diya released a statement on Sunday confirming his death.

“We announce the passing on to Glory of our dear Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, Lt-General Donaldson Oladipo Oyeyinka Diya (Rtd) GCON, LLB, BL, PSC, FSS, mni on behalf of the whole Diya family, both at home and abroad.

The late general of the armed forces and attorney was born on April 3, 1944, in Odogbolu, Ogun State, southwest Nigeria.

From 1950 until 1956, Mr. Diya attended the Yaba Methodist School in Lagos. He then enrolled as one of the first students of the Odogbolu Grammar School.

From 1994 to 1997, the dead held the position of Chief of General Staff, acting as Sani Abacha’s vice president and military head of state. Before, from January 1984 to August 1985, he held the positions of military governor of Ogun State and Chief of Defence Staff.

As Mr. Abacha’s deputy, Mr. Diya was accused of hatching a plot to overthrow him. A military tribunal appointed by the late dictator and kleptocrat then imprisoned Mr. Diya, tried him, and found him guilty.

He was given a death sentence by the panel, however Mr. Abacha unexpectedly passed away before the decision could be carried out. Later, the General Abdusalami Abubakar administration that succeeded Abacha’s released Mr. Diya.

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On Thursday in Abuja, the minister made this announcement during the National Aviation Stakeholders Forum 2023.

“Local and international flight operations will soon begin. We will fly before this administration ends on May 29,” Mr. Sirika declared.

“Negotiation sessions with the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ethiopian Airlines Group Consortium are now taking place. The Complete Business Case must now be approved by the Federal Executive Council.

The minister emphasized that the development of the national carrier will help Nigeria by reducing capital flight from the country and maximizing the benefits of bilateral aviation safety.

Additionally, according to Mr. Sirika, the national carrier will boost the GDP of the nation, promote hospitality and tourism, support the expansion and development of Nigeria’s agricultural industry, and generate jobs near the Agro-Cargo Terminals.

The Muhammadu Buhari administration has drawn criticism from many Nigerians for attempting to launch a new national airline after the last national airline, Nigeria Airways, collapsed partly as a result of corruption.

However, the government, which has been in power for less than two months, has stated that the new carrier will only be partially owned by the government and will be run by a private partner.

Some local airlines in Nigeria have, however, filed a lawsuit against the federal government, requesting that the court halt the new national carrier because it would have unfair advantages over existing airlines operating there.

A Federal High Court in Lagos issued an order of temporary injunction prohibiting the Nigerian government from establishing the national carrier in November of last year.

Mr. Sirika claimed in February that there was no court order prohibiting the launch of Nigeria Air and that it would shortly begin operations.

Nigeria’s foreign exchange situation, meantime, has been worse recently as its foreign reserves have been depleted.

The aviation industry has been greatly influenced by this. Domestic and international airlines are dealing with soaring aviation fuel prices in addition to foreign airlines having trouble releasing their stuck assets.

The foremost global trade body for airlines, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), pleaded with the Nigerian government two weeks ago to permit international airlines.

A Federal High Court in Lagos issued an order of temporary injunction prohibiting the Nigerian government from establishing the national carrier in November of last year.

Mr. Sirika claimed in February that there was no court order prohibiting the launch of Nigeria Air and that it would shortly begin operations.

Nigeria’s foreign exchange situation, meantime, has been worse recently as its foreign reserves have been depleted.

The aviation industry has been greatly influenced by this. Domestic and international airlines are dealing with soaring aviation fuel prices in addition to foreign airlines having trouble releasing their stuck assets.

The foremost global trade body for airlines, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), pleaded with the Nigerian government two weeks ago to permit international airlines to repatriate their funds trapped in the country.

The planned national carrier for Nigeria, Nigeria Air, was announced on July 18 at the Farnborough Air Show in England.

Two months after it was launched, the project was put on hold because of worries about its viability and applicability.

A preliminary cost of $8.8 million and a take-off cost of $300 million were anticipated for the new airline.

The concept of a national airline was floated several years after Nigeria Airways, the country’s former airline, failed owing to fraud and poor management.

The Federal Executive Council gave its approval in July to the leasing of three aircraft, allowing the airline to start flying.

Mr. Sirika stated at a press conference in Abuja in September of last year that Ethiopian Airlines emerged as a core stakeholder in Nigeria Air with a 49 percent stake.

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At around midnight on Tuesday, Mr. Obi, who finished third in the race, submitted his appeal at the Presidential race appeal Court in Abuja challenging the results of the vote.

He said that a number of irregularities occurred during the election, including Mr. Tinubu and his running companion Kashim Shettima not being eligible to run for office.

Additionally, he claimed Mr. Tinubu was unable to get a majority of the legal votes cast in the election, just as he was unable to win one-fourth of the legal votes cast in the Federal Capital.

Additionally, he claimed that the election was conducted in material non-compliance with the law.

Because he believed he received the majority of valid votes, the Labour Party candidate asked the court to either declare him the president-elect or declare the election invalid and order a new election.

There are two major prayers and three variant prayers in the petition, for a total of five prayers.

The petition was submitted jointly by Mr. Obi and the Labour Party, his party.

The co-petitioners named the APC, Mr. Tinubu, Kashim Shettima, the vice-president-elect, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants in their lawsuit.

The petitioners submitted their case on Tuesday, beating the 21-day window that started to run on March 1 after INEC announced the election’s winner.

Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came in second, according to INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, who made the announcement of the final results early on March 1 in Abuja.

In the election, Atiku received 6,984,520 votes overall, according to the results released by INEC.

With a total of 6,101,533 votes, Mr. Obi of the Labour Party finished second to Atiku, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP took fourth place with 1,496,687 votes.

With a total of 6,101,533 votes, Mr. Obi of the Labour Party finished second to Atiku, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP took fourth place with 1,496,687 votes.

Livy Uzoukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is the head of Mr. Obi’s legal team, which on Tuesday filed the case contesting the results of the election. (SAN).

When Atiku attempted to overturn President Muhammadu Buhari’s election in 2019, Mr. Uzoukwu served as the head of his legal team.

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