Tinubu's camp petitions DSS to arrest Labour Party's Obi, Datti

Festus Keyamo (SAN), the official spokesperson for Campaign Council of President-elect Bola Tinubu, has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest and prosecute the Labour Party's presidential and vice presidential candidates, Peter Obi and Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed respectively, for "incitement and treasonable felony".

In a petition dated March 23, 2023, and addressed to the Director General of the DSS, Yusuf Bichi, Keyamo expressed concern over the need to soothe frayed nerves, lower the temperature and begin the healing process after the election.

The Petition to arrest Peter Obi, Datti Baba-Ahmed

"The President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu issued a statement to this effect a few days ago. However, it appears the President and Vice-Presidential Candidates of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed are not prepared to toe this conciliatory path for the sake of peace and national cohesion, whilst exercising their rights to pursue duly laid down constitutional means of addressing their grievances,” the petition reads.

Obi/Datti accused of inciting violence: Keyamo further alleged that the Labour Party candidates were inciting people to riot and social unrest by camping some youths in a popular hotel in Abuja with the sole aim of instructing them to push out inciting messages every day on social media.

“I also have it on good authority that Mr. Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed have camped some youths in a popular hotel in Abuja with the sole aim of instructing them to push out inciting messages everyday on social media in order to cause panic and fear within the federation and to incite people to riot and social unrest.

"It is noteworthy that Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed have submitted Elections Petitions to the courts for adjudication, but their conducts and utterances amount to a subversion of the processes they have instituted in court and a subversion of our Constitution and the laid-down processes for addressing disputes and grievances. These conduct and utterances are a build-up to something more sinister and it is important you rein them in now!" Keyamo added.

Meanwhile, the DSS is yet to react to this development.