PDP Slams Lai Mohammed For Asking U.S To Deny Atiku Visa

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, over comments credited to him asking the United States to deny its presidential flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, visa to the country.

Mohammed had while addressing a press conference on Thursday in Abuja stated that granting visa to Atiku will create an impression the United States government was endorsing the PDP presidential candidate for presidency in 2019.

“Our position is that if the former VP already has a US visa, we have no problem about it. What we warn the US Government against is not to give the impression that it is endorsing one particular candidate over the other. That is what is going to happen if, for instance the former VP is granted a visa,” the Information Minister had said during the press conference.

Mohammed had recalled that the reason why the former Vice President has been unable to enter into the U.S in the last 12 years was due to his alleged involvement in the former U.S Congressman, William Jefferson’s corruption scandal.

The minister had said: “As you all will be aware, for more than 12 years, there has been a congressional bi-partisan investigation of corruption against certain individuals which had made it difficult for the former Vice President to secure a US visa.

“I am sure you will all recall the Jefferson case and what they called the cold $90,000 in the fridge. This is not the making of this administration, it has been ongoing,” he said.

But responding to Mohammed’s remarks, the opposition PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the minister’s statement as a “lazy talk”.

“Alhaji Lai Mohammed and the APC cannot dictate to America who to allow into their country. It is not in the place of Lai Mohammed to tell America who to admit and who not to admit into their country.

“America is a sovereign country and they reserve the right on who to admit into their country. This is part of the government’s misplaced priority. It’s all lazy talk,” Ologbondiyan told The Nation.

Meanwhile, THE WHISTLER had earlier this month reported that barring any last minute change, Mr Atiku will be visiting the United States on December 12 following an invitation to speak at an event in the country next month.

There are now fresh indications that the PDP presidential aspirant had on Monday visited the U.S Embassy in Abuja for fingerprints ahead of his visa issuance.

The Nation had quoted sources in Atiku’s camp as stating that the former Vice President’s visa should be out in the next one or two weeks.

“Atiku is almost completing his visa process. He was at the US Embassy on Monday for fingerprint vitals,” the source said, adding that, “I think it is too late in the day for this administration to stop issuance of visa to the former Vice President.”