FAKE AND DOCTORED AUDIO CONVERSATION WITH OYEDEPO THAT WAS LEAKED — OBI REACTS

Peter Obi, a candidate for the Labour Party in the February 25 presidential election, has claimed the audio of an alleged conversation between him and Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, is a hoax.

According to the audio, Obi purportedly told Oyedepo that the presidential election was a religious battle and that the clergyman should help him convince people in the South-West and Kwara State, especially Christians, to support his campaign. 

In a statement he personally signed on Wednesday, Obi responded by claiming that throughout his "issue-based campaign," he never once referred to the election as a religious war.

He also bemoaned alleged efforts by the government's All Progressives Congress to deflect "attention from our blatantly stolen mandate".      

Obi said, “These have come and continued to manifest 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 pressure on me to leave the country.            

“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.”

Peter Obi responded that his legal team had been ordered to take appropriate legal actions against the online media platform that published the leaked audio.

“While we call on all concerned Nigerians and the international community to implore the APC and the APC-led government to stop their nasty attacks, my 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 remain unchanged.          

“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 on heating up the polity, creating divisions, tensions and hatred within and outside Nigeria should remember that Nigeria is our only country. Our focus should be on how to address the litany of challenges facing us, such as flawed electoral processes, the parlous state of our economy, unsustainable debt burden, lamentable unemployment and inflation, insecurity, and multi-dimensional poverty. A New Nigeria is indeed POssible, and God will help us.”