Presidential candidate of the Labour Party Peter Obi, has now initiated a legal process against Peoples Gazette Newspaper.
Recall that days back, an audio recording where Peter Obi was heard in a purported discussion with Bishop Oyedepo asking for his help to get Christian votes, went viral on the internet. In the audio recording which had since been trending on the internet, Peter Obi was heard saying, “Daddy, I need you to speak to your people in the South-West and Kwara, the Christians in the South-West and Kwara.”
In a part of the recording, the former Anambra State Governor was heard saying, “This is a religious war,” indicating that the 2023 election is a religious war. “I believe that, I believe that, I believe that,” Bishop Oyedepo said.
“Like I keep saying: if this works, you people will never regret the support,” Peter Obi was heard saying with candor, adding that Christians in places like Kogi, Kwara and Niger have been difficult to penetrate.
“We look forward to God’s intervention,” Mr Oyedepo said, promising to circulate more messages to Christians on Mr Obi’s behalf.
However, in a swift response, the Labour Party dismissed the tape as a deep fake, adding that it was the handiwork of detractors, especially in the opposition who want to distract Nigerians “after stealing their mandate ”In furtherance to calls for Peter Obi to either confirm or deny the audio, the Labour party candidate moments ago said he has instructed his legal team to initiate a legal process against Peoples Gazette over the ‘fake audio recording’.
He wrote: “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!
“The present attempts by the APC as a Party, and the APC Led-government through some government officials and agencies to divert our attention from our blatantly stolen mandate is unfortunate and sad.
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.”
“The attempts to manipulate Nigerians are very sad and wicked. Our legal team have been instructed to take appropriate legal actions against Peoples Gazette and others.
“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,” he said in his tweet.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Peoples Gazette announced that it had suspended the reporter who wrote the report of the leaked audio tape.