MINISTER of State for Labour and Employment Festus Keyamo has been caught sharing and promoting fake news about the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi on Twitter several times.
Keyamo, who doubles as the spokesman for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential election campaign council, drew the irk of Obi’s supporters late last month when he shared on his Twitter page a purported agreement between the former Anambra State governor and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar.
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The report, published by Podium Reporters, alleged that Obi had agreed to clear the path to pave the way for the emergence of Atiku in the 2023 presidential election.
Sharing the report, Keyamo wrote, “We told the OBIdient soldiers that their ‘hero’ was taking them to nowhere; taking them for a ride of the century and for political 419! We laugh! We are ahead of them!”
We told the OBIdient soldiers that their ‘hero’ was taking them to nowhere; taking them for a ride of the century and for political 419! We laugh! We are ahead of them!🤣
EXCLUSIVE: Obi agrees to deal to clear path for Atiku’s emergence – Podium Reporters https://t.co/g6TFLmxzZS
— Festus Keyamo, SAN (@fkeyamo) August 26, 2022
However, the media office of the Obi-Datti 2023 Presidential Campaign debunked the report, describing it as the handiwork of charitable propagandists who indulge in distorting facts in the pursuit of imaginary relevance for their paymasters.
Similarly, the Director-General of the Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation Doyin Okupe also denied the speculations. He noted that Obi was enjoying the massive support of Nigerians, especially the youth and was far ahead of all other presidential candidates in the country.
Okupe added that the LP presidential candidate could not be negotiating with other less popular candidates or their parties.
On Sunday, another news report from the website and which was shared by Keyamo alleged that Obi, who is currently outside the country, demanded over N1 million in gate fees to address Nigerians in the Diaspora about his presidential ambition.
We have consistently alerted some of these hapless Nigerians that they are on a journey to NOWHERE!! What more can we say? 👇👇👇
Uproar as Obi demands over N1M in gate fees to address Nigerians – Podium Reporters https://t.co/g3ppsSFrb9
— Festus Keyamo, SAN (@fkeyamo) September 4, 2022
Although there were social media reports that participants who came to listen to Obi in Atlanta, USA, were asked to pay money ranging from $250, $1,000 to $5,000 respectively, as gate fee, a leader of the National Consultative Front (NCF), Pat Utomi, has distanced himself and Obi from the development.
Utomi, while responding to the questions on Channels Television on Sunday, said the LP presidential candidate knew nothing about the charges.
He said the money for tickets might be a way to cater for attendees’ breakfast or dinner, but they have no hand in it.
“We have been invited to an event, we don’t know what the mechanics are. You know, so, in America it is a tradition, if some people will give it breakfast or dinner, they may want to charge people that come to eat, but we have not been associated with anything. We just get invited by Nigerian groups and we attend. So I don’t think that is an issue,” he said.
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