Keyamo: LP riling up Nigerians against judiciary over presidential election petition

Festus Keyamo, spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, has accused the Labour Party (LP) of “riling up” Nigerians against the judiciary.

Speaking on Thursday in an interview with Channels Television, Keyamo claimed that the utterances of LP chieftains are “setting up a scene for rebellion” against the judiciary.

On Wednesday, Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the LP, claimed that Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, did not meet the constitutional requirements to win the February 25 election.

Earlier on Thursday, Keyamo submitted a petition to the Department of State Services (DSS) over inciting comments capable of disrupting law and order in the country.

He filed the petition against Peter Obi, candidate of the LP, and Datti Baba-Ahmed, his running mate.

Reacting to Datti Baba-Ahmed’s comment, Keyamo accused the LP vice-presidential candidate of attempting to “blackmail” the judiciary with his interpretation of section 134 (2) 1999 constitution (as amended).

“If I don’t say go court, what will I say? Will I say come let’s fight? If I say go to court, what it means is that — avail yourself of the machinery for addressing grievances as provided by the law,” Keyamo said.

“If I don’t say go to court, the next thing I will say is that come let’s fight. Why are they using such sentences in a derogatory manner?

“It is what is provided by law and people have actually retrieved their mandate by going to court. It is only when it does not favour you.

“That is what the LP is doing. That is why I have to petition them to the DSS. There is a build-up to what they are doing. The build-up is to rile the people up, pump them up and turned them against the judiciary if the judgement doesn’t go in a particular way.

“That is why he came here yesterday to say the constitution comes interpreted. What does that mean? He is telling the judiciary that I have interpreted it, the people of Nigeria have interpreted it and if you say anything different they will come after you.

“That is where they are going. They are setting up a scene for rebellion and blackmail the judiciary.”