Doyin Okupe, the former Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, has denounced the deliberate misinformation surrounding the Samoa Agreement signed by the Nigerian Federal Government, labeling it as treasonable.
According to PUNCH Online, Nigeria recently endorsed the Samoa Agreement at the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium. Named after the Pacific Island Samoa, where it was initially signed, the agreement has faced opposition from several countries that value Islamic and Christian principles and cultural sensitivities.
The Daily Trust reported that the agreement includes clauses compelling underdeveloped and developing nations to support the recognition of the LGBTQ+ community as a condition for receiving financial and other aid from advanced societies.
In a response posted on his X handle on Saturday, Okupe argued that the misinformation was a calculated effort to undermine the Nigerian government and tarnish President Bola Tinubu’s reputation. He claimed that the intent behind this misinformation was to sow significant discord within certain regions of the country, potentially leading to violence and civil unrest.
Okupe urged all well-meaning Nigerians, including opposition leaders, to condemn this act, which he described as both evil and unpatriotic. He wrote, “The deliberate misinformation on the Samoa agreement signed by the FG is patently treasonable. This particular act was obviously aimed at damaging and discrediting the FG, with the intent to cause serious disaffection within some sections of the country. And because it touches on the innate and core sensibilities of our society, it has a dangerous potential to cause major conflagration and civil unrest in the country.
“It should be seriously condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians, including even leaders of the opposition who are hoping that someday they will also be in power. This is not just evil propaganda and unpatriotic, it is politics carried too far!! Bola Tinubu is President today, it will be someone else tomorrow.
“No matter your grouse against this administration or political ambition or disposition, it is not worth burning this nation for. I must commend the Premium Times for going the extra mile to find the truth and publish same. Nigeria will still survive by God’s Grace. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The Federal Government has reassured Nigerians that President Tinubu will not enter into any international agreement that compromises the country’s interests. In a press statement on Thursday, Minister of Information Mohammed Idris clarified that the partnership agreement is between the EU and its member states on one side and the members of the OACPS on the other. Idris also emphasized that Nigeria’s existing legislation against same-sex relationships, enacted in 2014, remains in effect.