FG reacts to ex-president's allegations, says guilty conscience is haunting OBJ

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed described it as the "concoction of a mind worried by guilt" in a statement released on Friday, June 8.

He wondered why Obasanjo is afraid if he does not have skeleton in his cupboard.

"This administration will never engage in a frame-up of innocent citizens," Mohammed said.

"That is neither in the character of President Muhammadu Buhari nor in that of his administration. Only the guilty should be worried. To paraphrase an African proverb, a man who has no wife cannot lose an inlaw to the cold hands of death.

"The administration is also strongly committed to the tenets of democracy, including freedom of speech and the right to dissent. But we understand that those who, in their time, were untethered to those principles would find it hard to believe."

The minister added that the Buhari administration is focused and committed to delivering the dividends of democracy and will not succumb to any attempts to be distracted by those who "helped to deepen the wounds inflicted by the blow of injustice that followed an election that was widely acclaimed to be free, fair and credible."

"Added to that is the frustration brought about by the fact that the contraption they have so much hyped as a freeway to power has failed to gain traction. Faced with this double tragedy, even the strongest of men may begin to succumb to a figment of their imagination. They may start crying wolf where there is none", he added.

ALSO READ: Why Nigerians should vote Buhari out in 2019 - Obasanjo

'Letter bomb'

Obasanjo has continued to punch holes in the Buhari administration since his critical open letter to the President in January.

He is said to be making underground moves to build a formidable coalition that will wrestle power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019 as his African Democratic Party (ADC) is in talks with over 30 political parties.

It is, however, not clear if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is the major opposition platform germane to this kind of coalition, is party to the talks.