The Igbo Lawyers Association (ILA) has condemned the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government’s treason allegations against Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 elections, over his claim that his mandate during the 2023 presidential election was stolen.
Recall that eminent legal practitioners, including frontline rights lawyer Mr Femi Falana, had also rejected the Muhammadu Buhari administration’s claim that the Labour Party presidential team of Obi and Datti Ahmed was engaging in treason by alleged subversive activities.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, accused the duo in faraway Washington, DC, of plotting a violent change of government in Nigeria by refusing to accept the results of the February 25 presidential election
Datti, Obi’s running mate in the election, in particular, has come under fire for saying that the election winner, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, would not be sworn in on May 29.
The ILA, led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Chuks Muoma, has called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. The group urged Obi not to drop the case at the elections tribunal or go into exile, as some have speculated.
Igbo lawyers expressed sadness that Obi was being harassed, hounded, and threatened with abandoning the cause he had chosen.
“Why are they harassing him, because they cheated him out of his victory? Now, they are claiming he has committed treason offences. You cannot beat a child and deny him his tears, deny him crying,” Mouma stated.
He stated that Nigeria’s hypocrisy towards the Igbo of the South-East was obvious to the world, emphasising that the country will not experience peace until Ndigbo, who led the independence struggles, are recognised and given their rightful positions.
“Independence struggles for the country were spearheaded by the Igbo man; Nnamdi Azikiwe, Mbonu Ojike, Ozuomba Mbadiwe. Nigeria has to accept and give Igbo their rightful positions for it to move forward. As long as Nigeria hates Igbo, the country will remain as it is.”
On suggestions in some quarters that Peter Obi, should leave the country and go into self-exile, Muoma asked: “Why would Obi go on exile? For what? If they said he committed treason, let them go ahead but the fact remains that, they haven’t got any evidence against him. There is no evidence.
“The law is a matter of evidence and evidence is a matter of fact. All that they are doing is because Obi is an Igbo man. That’s exactly what the problem is.”
