The Presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi and the Presidential Campaign Council of the party have threatened to take legal action against online news publication, People’s Gazette, which first published a leaked audio of a conversation between Obi and founder of the Living Faith Church, David Oyedepo, which has been described by the former Anambra state governor as ‘fake and doctored’.
In tweets on his official page, Wednesday, Peter Obi stated thus: ‘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.’
He summed it up as a ploy to manipulate Nigerians against his person, describing it as a wicked act and averring that their legal team has been directed to take appropriate legal actions against Peoples Gazette and others involved.
Speaking, in a statement issued by Chief Spokesperson of the Obi-Datti Campaign Council, Tanko Yunusa, Wednesday, he described the leaked viral audio conversation as a ‘fake doctored call’, reiterating that throughout the campaign, Peter Obi never described the2023 election as a religious war.
His words: ‘As part of the grand design, they are circulating a fake doctored audio call. At no time throughout the campaign did Mr Peter Obi ever say, think or even imply that the 2023 election is or was a religious war. It is very sad and wicked the attempts to manipulate Nigerians. Our legal team has been instructed to take appropriate legal actions against Peoples Gazette and others.’
The leaked audio tape left the cyber space heated up with great controversy, especially Twitter. In the audio clip, which has now been popularized as ‘Yes Daddy’, Peter Obi was heard requesting that Oyedepo should help him to spread his campaign message to Christians in the South West and some areas in North Central. As he continuously addressed Oyedepo as ‘Daddy’, he told him that the just held presidential election was a ‘religious war’.
In response, Oyedepo said ‘I believe that’ and Peter Obi continued ‘If this works, you people will never regret the support’.
After the release of the audio conversation by the People’s Gazette, fact checkers at the FIJ investigated it and concluded that it was original and not doctored.
Recall that before the presidential poll, Peter Obi’s critics accused him of playing politics of ethnicity and being a religious bigot. He denied this allegation and made it clear that he wanted to be voted for, based on his capacity to build a better Nigeria and not for reasons of religion. He was declared third position by INEC and has since then, been challenging the victory of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). This leaked audio seems to have strengthened the position of his critics.
The LP Presidential Campaign Spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo and his long-standing media aide, Valentine Obienyem confirmed that the audio was indeed authentic, but however gave a different interpretation of the conversation between Peter Obi and Oyedepo.
Below is the press release from the Presidential Campaign Council of the Labour Party:
Labor Party Presidential Campaign Council, Press Release:
Disturbing Emerging Developments in Nigeria!
1. We continue to thank all Nigerians especially the youths and Obidients as they have remained focused on the core mission of a New Nigeria That Is Possible, even after the presidential elections of 25th February 2023.
2. Before, throughout and after the campaigns, it is on record that Mr Peter Obi maintained his commitment and focus on issues-based campaigns, about a New Nigeria That is Possible, a shift of emphasis from consumption to production, a New Nigeria characterised by inclusion, justice, equity, fairness and prosperity. He repeatedly stated that no one should vote for him based on Tribe or Religion, but rather on the assessment of Character, Competence, Capacity, Credibility and Compassion you can trust to create a New Nigeria!
3. Most unfortunately, in the past few weeks, Mr Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the February 25th, 2023 presidential election has been contacted by associates, elder statesmen, family and friends with concerns for his personal safety. These concerns have increased intensely in the last few days as immense pressure has been mounted directly on Mr. Obi to leave the country, no doubt from sources allied to the All-Progressive Congress (APC) and its agents in the security services. Mr Obi has been repeatedly and categorically told that he has a choice to leave the country or face the prospect of being arrested on false charges of inciting insurrection in the country.
4. It is difficult to fathom and indeed unfortunate and regrettable that state institutions have become part of a well calculated, deliberate and orchestrated campaign of calumny by the APC to discredit and delegitimize Mr Peter Obi and compel him to abandon his right to seek redress in court following the outcome of the last election which was adjudged both locally and internationally to have failed to meet any standard of credibility or fairness.
5. As part of the grand design, they are circulating a fake doctored audio call. At no time throughout the campaign did Mr Peter Obi ever say, think or even imply that the 2023 election is or was a religious war. It is very sad and wicked the attempts to manipulate Nigerians. Our legal team has been instructed to take appropriate legal actions against Peoples Gazette and others.
6. Despite the public denunciation of the fake audio call, its contents have been translated to other Nigerian languages and circulated in most parts of Northern Nigeria with some of our Moslem clerics deceived and instigated to use the contents for their sermons at various Mosques during the usual Friday prayers. This is a dangerous development at a time when the APC led-government and the APC party which have been awarded undeserved and unfair victory should be more concerned in addressing the ethnic and religious frictions unfortunately created by the outcome of the elections.
7. Yet unsatisfied but determined to cause more problems, Mr Lai Mohammed, who fancies himself as modern day Gobbeal is on a tour of some selected countries to present an alternative story about the 2023 discredited election, and from his first statement in Washington have assumed the role of the courts by stating that Mr Obi has no pathway to victory. This is a direct intimidation of the courts and a waste of taxpayers’ money (Nigeria’s money).
8. There are many more campaigns of calumny against Mr Peter Obi planned for the near future both before and during the court process. However, we want to make it clear to the APC party, APC led-government and its agents that Mr Peter Obi a widely traveled man has no intention to leave the country at this time irrespective of the pressure on him and his family. He is determined as he had stated in his first and only press conference after the election to challenge the outcome of the election and the process has begun. It is his fundamental right!
9. While we call on all concerned Nigerians and the International Community to caution APC and the APC Led-government to stop their nasty attacks, Mr Peter Obi’s focus and commitment to lawfully and peacefully retrieve our mandate to secure and unite our Nation, take Nigeria from consumption to production, pull millions of Nigerians out of multidimensional poverty especially in the North and jumpstart prosperity through agricultural, industrial and technological revolution remains unchanged.
10. He has continued to impress upon his supporters the essence of the legal process and will not now or in the future encourage any violence against the state. He has absolutely no reason for this nor desperate especially as throughout the campaign, he called for a new Nigeria defined by opportunities for all, an end to poverty and criminality in government, especially corruption and an end to tribal and religious division and bigotry.
11. It is for these reasons that we appeal to revered religious leaders especially in the North not to be part of the grand design of the state apparatus to further increase the religious and ethnic divide in the country. Irrespective of the outcome of the court process, we have the obligation to strive for the peace and co-existence of all Nigerians. We call on President Buhari to rein in his desperate officials at all levels as their actions or inactions could lead to unnecessary crisis in the country.
