The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has distanced himself from a purportedly leaked phone call between himself and the founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, aka Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo.
An online medium had published the audio clip, prompting tensions between Obi’s supporters, popularly known as Obidients, and several of their political opponents, both online and offline.
Oyedepo said on Sunday that he had never campaigned for a politician or talked to a group on their behalf. Obi, on the other hand, didn’t say anything in public until two days later, when he answered Lai Mohammed’s claims.
The LP candidate, however, took to Twitter on Wednesday to reject the authenticity of the audio, arguing that he consistently maintained his focus on an issue-based campaign while pursuing a new Nigeria characterised by inclusion, justice, equity, fairness, and prosperity.
“I repeatedly stated that no one should vote for me based on tribe or religion, but rather on the assessment of character, competence, capacity, credibility, and compassion that can be trusted to create a new Nigeria!” he said.
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Obi criticised what he called the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the APC-led government’s current attempts, through some government officials and agencies, to take attention away from “our clearly stolen mandate.”
According to him, these have manifested in different ways, “such as the malicious accusation of the Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, the circulation of a fake doctored audio call, and the pressure on me to leave the country”.
He added, “Let me reiterate that the audio call being circulated is fake, and at no time throughout the campaign and now did I ever say, think, or even imply that the 2023 election is or was a religious war.”
While condemning the attempts to “manipulate” Nigerians, which he called “very sad and wicked,” the LP candidate stated that his legal team had been instructed to take appropriate legal actions against the online medium in question and others.
The former Anambra governor urged all concerned Nigerians and the international community to implore the APC and the APC-led government to stop “their nasty attacks”.
He noted that his focus and commitment to lawfully and peacefully “retrieve our mandate to secure and unite our nation,”, among other aspirations, remain unchanged.
“The elections are over, and we are in court to retrieve our stolen mandate. Let me reiterate that we are doing so through all lawful and peaceful options in line with our legal system and constitution, and I continue to implore all Nigerians to remain peaceful and law-abiding.
“Those fixated with heating up the polity and creating divisions, tensions, and hatred within and outside Nigeria should remember that Nigeria is our only country,” he said.
Phone tracking, leak allegations
On Tuesday, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) responded to claims that it tracks and leaks phone calls by saying that it does not and cannot do these things by law.
It made the assertion after supposedly being inundated with inquiries about claims of telephone “tracking” and “leakage” by some individuals and groups on social media.
The commission’s statement and comments come amid a controversial audio clip.
The audio shows what sounds like a phone call between Peter Obi and Bishop David Oyedepo.
For his part, Obi, in a tweet, maintained his campaign was issue-based and not focused on ethnicity or religion.
“I’ve Never Sponsored Anti-State Action”
Amid tensions over a purported plot to install an interim government, Lai Mohammed, the information minister, held a press conference in Washington, DC, where he warned Obi not to stoke violence.
Mohammed warned the former governor not to say anything that could be considered treasonous. He said that the former governor couldn’t accept that Bola Tinubu had won the presidential election on February 25.
But Obi denounced the allegations as the latest in a series of consistent efforts to portray him in a light that is at variance with who he is.
“In the past few days, I have observed various campaigns of calumny directed at my person, with the latest being allegations attributed to the information minister, Lai Mohammed, from Washington, DC,” he said in part.
“I have never talked about or told anyone to do anything that would hurt the Nigerian state. I have never backed or preached anything that would hurt the Nigerian state.”
