REJOINDER: I did not shy away from #PolitrickswithKO . Alhaji Lai Mohammed

RE: ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC) SHOULD LEARN SOME DECENCY FROM
THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Dear Mr. Ogundamisi,

My attention has been drawn to the statement your posted on your blog on Thursday, Aug. 8th 2013 concerning my scheduled appearance on your programme, PolitrickTodaywithKO.

It is true that I agreed to appear on the show on the same date, and as a clear indication of this, I set up a Skype Account and forward the ID to you. There could not have been a better testimony to my sincere intentions.

However, I informed you that I will be travelling to Accra, Ghana, on that day, and should be ready for the programme once I arrived.

Unfortunately, by the time I arrived in Accra, cleared immigration, collected my luggage and headed to my hotel, much time had elapsed. Upon arriving at the hotel, the Internet acted up all night, making it impossible for me to appear on the programme as scheduled.

If I didn't call you immediately to alert you of this developments, it was due to the fact that while my number is roamed, it did not immediately come on stream when I arrived in Accra. When it did come on, it was too late for me to call. I therefore decided I would call you first thing on Friday to explain my inability to appear and to also express my regrets.

Sadly, by the time I woke up, my attention was called to your posting which was not only blatantly unfair but contained a number of inaccuracies. Let's treat them one by one

1. You wrote categorically that I called you four hours to the show: I hereby state categorically, also, that I did not speak with you on Thursday, Aug. 8th.

2. You wrote that I ''hinted'' at wanting to have prepared questions, and that this request was politely rejected: This could not have happened because I didn't speak with you at all that day, talk less of doing so four hours to the programme.

For the record, I grant media interviews to Nigerian and International media routinely, and not once have I ever asked to be given prepared questions.

3. You also wrote that one hour to the programme, you went on Skype and found me on the line: I could not have been on the line when I was on the road and had no access to the Internet, or when I reached the hotel and the Internet was not working. If you called and my phone was ''switched off'', it could either mean I was in the air (during which passengers were compelled to switch off their phones), or that the roaming had not registered when I arrived in Accra.

I have gone to this length to explain what happened on Thursday to debunk your insinuation that I deliberately refused to appear on the programme, and that I did not pick your calls when you tried to reach me.

I must put on record that you rushed to judgement on your blog. Though you started off by saying you would ''hold back and give him a benefit of doubt'', you did none of the two. If you were holding back, you would have waited for, at the least, one day to hear from me before reaching any conclusion. If you were giving me the benefit of the doubt, you would not have tried to
denigrate my person and the party I represent so unconscionably.

I am grossly disappointed at your rush to judgement and the aspersion you sought to cast on my person. Your characterization does not reflect my person, as I am sure you will find out when you inquire from your colleagues.

But worst of all, you erred by making such a blanket statement about a whole party. For a man like you who claimed to be a victim of injustice, you needed to have been more circumspect before being so unfair not just to another person but to a corporate entity.

I do hope you will give my response the same treatment that you accorded your own view on the matter.

Alhaji Lai  Mohammed
Interim  National  Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Accra, Aug. 8th 2013


Alahji Lai Mohhamed's Rejoinder! I stand by my earlier publication. Kayode Ogundamisi

I stand by my earlier statement, I dialed Alh Lai in the studio in the presence of  3 witnesses including an 11 year old child and also including Profesor Okey Ndibe who was in the studio with productions crew, Mr Lai Mohammed's Skype ID was not only ON but clearly indicating 'CALL REJECTED' by other party. 

Mr Lai's phone rang severally and simple call logs can show this and at every point calls where not being picked and then switched off. 

I am surprised Mr Mohammed is now claiming he did not speak to me on the day of the programme, this again is easily verifiable by phone records and  contrary to suggestions demanding I produce recordings of the conversation. I believe it is unprofessional to secretly record a phone conversation without the consent of the other party. I will suggest Mr Lai party APC should provide him with a technology assistance, especially after his disclosure that he's just opening a SKYPE account in 2013. That is not acceptable for a National Publicity Secretary of a party that hopes to lead Nigeria to the next millennium. 

Kayode Ogundamisi

All Progressives Congress (APC) should learn some decency from the Peoples Democratic Party.

All Progressives Congress (APC) should learn some decency from the Peoples Democratic Party.

I am almost tempted to write a long article on my experience with Lai Mohammed who is the National Publicity Secretary of Nigeria's main opposition party APC, but I will keep it brief, I will hold back and give him a benefit of doubt.


Meanwhile I am impressed with the Peoples Democratic Party's ‘Director of Publicity’ Tony Okeke for having the decency to contact us on the programme #PolititrickswithKO. Mr Okeke was invited to the programme so as to balance the debate with the APC.

Okeke called in to thank us for the invitation, gave reasons why the PDP was unable to attend, stating the PDP was at the moment preparing for elections in Anambra State and also that rather than have a Skype interview they would like to send in a representative. He also went further that he was unable to speak for the PDP on a live programme as he was not an elected official, shortly after Okeke dropped the phone a National Executive of the PDP called in to thank the producers for the invitation and he went further to state that every platform is important for the PDP to ‘engage Nigerians’ and thus would be willing to participate anytime he was in London.

Compare the attitude of the PDP to the APC, the programme contacted Alhaji Lai Mohammed six days before going live, he gave his word to take part via skype and even asked for the topic, he was provided same, we decided to be careful and waited 4 days to get reconfirmation from him just to see if his busy scheduled would change, Lai assured us everything was ok and we could go on and advertise his name, that we did, it took Lai Mohammed two days to provide us with a Skype ID. We continued to engage Lai even getting a text message confirmation that he was going to take part on Thursday 9th August 2013.

We arrived at the studio with Profesor Okey Ndibe an award wining Nigerian writer who came from from the United States of America.

Four hours to the show Mr Mohammed called hinting at wanting to have prepared questions, his request was politely rejected, but he still gave his word that he would be taking part in the programme, one hour to the programme we decided to do a studio test run, went on Skype and was glad to find Lai on line.

That was it, we called on skype, he rejected our calls, twenty minutes before going live we tried Lai 16 times, 16 times his Skype ID stated “call rejected” we decided we could just opt for a live phone interview, giving him the benefit of doubt that Skype might be playing up.

We called Lai’s phone numbers it rang, and rang and rang and after 19 calls we got the message “phone switched off”. We went live apologised to the viewers and had the one hour session with Profesor Okey Ndibe, not only did it turn out to be one of the best episode so far but for some reason Professor Okey made sure Lai Mohammed was not missed.  The National publicity sec of a party that intends to take over from the PDP neither called, e-mail, or send a text message to apologise or give reason for his absence.

On our way home after the programme, Professor Ndibe mumbled a word, I couldn’t hear him well and he repeated the words again saying, “I hope APC does not intend to run Nigeria with the Lai Mohammed attitude” I replied Professor Ndibe by saying Maybe APC needs to learn some decency from the PDP.

Kayode Ogundamisi

PolitrickstodaywithKO is a live TV programme, it runs every Thursday on BEN-TV UK Skype Channel 182 and live in Nigeria on Star Time and on line on www.bentelevision.com

Okey Ndibe and Lai Mohammed on #PolitrickswithKO on Thursday 8th Aug 2013 Live on BEN-TV UK

Okey Ndibe and Lai Mohammed on #PolitrickswithKO on Thursday 8th Aug 2013 Live on BEN-TV UK to discuss 'Opposition Politics in Nigeria' 8PM-9PM (UK) on Sky 182 and  live on line on www.bentelevision.com


Okey Ndibe (born 1960) is Nigerian a novelist, political columnist, and essayist. Of Igbo ethnicity, Ndibe was born in Yola, Nigeria. He is the author of Arrows of Rain, a critically acclaimed novel published in 2000. He relocated to the United States in 1988 to serve as founding editor of African Commentary, a magazine described as "award-winning and widely acclaimed." Ndibe's essay, "My Biafran Eyes," about his childhood experience of war, is published in the Dzanc Best of the Web 2008. He teaches fiction and African literature at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. His poetry is published in New West African Poets, edited by the Gambian writer, Tijan Sallah. Ndibe has taught at Simon's Rock of Bard College in Great Barrington, MA, Connecticut College, New London, CT, and the University of Lagos (as a Fulbright scholar). He is finishing work on a new novel titled foreign gods, incorporated as well as a memoir, An African Doing Dutch in America. Ndibe is co-editor (with the Zimbabwean writer, Chenjerai Hove) of a collection of essays titled Writers, Writing on Conflicts and Wars in Africa (Adonis Abbey, 2009). His latest novel, foreign gods inc is to be released soon.


Alhaji Lai Mohammed is The interim national publicity secretary of Nigeria’s main opposition party the All Progressive Congress (APC) Mohammed is a Lawyer and Co-founded the thriving legal firm of Edu & Mohammed as a Senior Partner in 1989. Alhaji Lai Mohammed is an Astute Businessman and an active politician and was until recently the National Secretary of Actions Congress Nigeria (ACN). Alhaji Mohammed has been Chairman of Optmedia Limited, a subsidiary of Afromedia Plc since December 18, 2008. He has been Director of Afromedia PLC since May 2011. Alhaji Mohammed is also a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and worked as Public Relations Officer for almost 10 years with the Nigerian Airport Authority, now Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

#PolitrickswithKO Nigeria’s Anti gay bill : A victory for culture and religion or a human rights violation?

Coming Thursday on  #PolitrickswithKO  Nigeria’s Anti gay bill : A victory for culture and religion or a human rights violation?

Studio Guests

Yemisi Ilesanmi and Seun Kolade On Thursday 1st August 2013 Watch Live on BEN-TV UK Sky 182 in Nigeria via Star Time and On Line via www.bentelevision.com Phone in +442088080693 Send Questions via Twitter


Yemisi Ilesanmi is a Nigerian woman, who identifies as a Feminist, Bisexual and an Atheist. She holds a Masters of Law (LL.M) degree in Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights. She is a trade unionist, human rights activist, blogger, poet and author of the book 'Freedom To Love For ALL: Homosexuality is Not Un-African’.

Yemisi Ilesanmi has held many National and International positions, amongst which were:
➢ National Women leader and Assistant National Secretary- Nigeria Labour Party.
➢ Vice President- International Trade Union Congress (ITUC)
➢ Chairperson- ITUC Youth Committee
➢ International Labour Conference (ILC) Committee Member on Applications of Standards
➢ Member- United Nations Youth Employment Network
➢ Founder/President- National Association of Nigerian Female Students (NANFS)
She is the founder and coordinator of the campaign group Nigerian LGBTIs in Diaspora Against Anti-Same Sex Laws. The group has organized protests outside Nigerian embassy in London and New York to protest the Nigerian draconian ‘Jail the Gays’ bill passed and also to demand the repeal of all existing anti same sex laws in Nigeria. She also created an online petition against the bill.

Her debut book 'Freedom To Love For ALL: Homosexuality is Not Un-African'.


Seun Kolade is a Christian writer, citizen activist and development researcher with a passion for apologetics, social justice and contemporary issues affecting democracy and development in Nigeria and other African states. For more than 15 years he has been involved with various Christian groups raising consciousness on authentic spirituality and social issues in an increasingly toxic atmosphere of corruption and so-called ‘prosperity’ Gospel.  He is the author of the booklet “Let Justice Flow”, and has published several articles in magazines, newspapers and online journals, including NEXT, Baptist Times and Sahara Reporters.

Kolade is the convener and chairman of Oyo Global Forum, a global network of professionals engaging the grass root and political representatives to promote development, as well as accountability and transparency in governance in Oyo state and Nigeria at large.

Seun Kolade holds Bachelor and Masters of Science degrees in Civil Engineering and a post graduate teaching certificate in Higher Education. He is a fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and a member of Development Studies Association, and he is based in London, where he is currently undertaking a doctoral programme in Development Studies at the London South Bank University.

I wish I could Fly! Kayode Ogundamisi

I was on the "prince of Paris", deep in thoughts, taking stocks, looking back on life, something about the Sea, 'she' purifies your thought process, you speak truth to yourself. ....suddenly a voice told me I've got company, gazing up I saw my new aqiunatnces, I brought out my phone could not believe the 'peaceful friends' click! click! click! I snapped them, took the camera away, tried to count, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7... I stopped counting just happy at the arrival of my new friends, flying so close over me, free birds, flying, diving, swerving, gliding, choosing a path, several paths, then suddenly changing route, I then wish I could join my new friends, wish I could fly, be free, chose my path and change my path within seconds. Kayode Ogundamisi (Photo on the 'Prince of Paris-Channel Crossing Dover-Calais 27th July 2013)