4th April, 2023
The Labour Party candidate in the February 25 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi has returned online after his telephone conversation with Bishop David Oyedepo was leaked.
Before today, Obi’s last tweet was on March 31st and many expected that his return to social media will be to offer an explanation for the leaked audio where he labeled the 2023 election a “religious war.”
In the original audio, Obi, quavering like a servant to his lord, sought the help of Oyedepo to sell him in the South West, Kwara, Kogi, and Niger as a candidate of the church.
He gave an assurance that the church will not regret backing him.
Obi declared the election as a religious war and wanted Oyedepo to reach out to the Christians in the aforementioned states.
Oyedepo responded that he was already doing something in that regard, citing a statement he had issued in which he said that a sick nation requires ‘a strong and healthy personality’.
The audio sparked heavy criticism for Obi, but returning to Twitter today, he failed to tell his side of the story.
The Labour Party hero chose to use his account to celebrate Chinalurumogu Eze for winning the 2023 Future Creative Leaders Academy (FCLA) Prize for the Roger Hatchuel Student Academy.
“My very warm congratulations to Chinalurumogu Eze for winning the 2023 Future Creative Leaders Academy (FCLA) Prize for the Roger Hatchuel Student Academy,” Obi wrote on Twitter.
“I urge @nalu_kings to go all out for victory as she represents Nigeria at the Roger Hatchuel Student Academy (RHSA) in the Cannes Lion Festival in France. May God Almighty, who sees your goodness and hard work grant you success. -PO.”
Kenneth Okonkwo confirms the audio as authentic.
Meanwhile, Kenneth Okonkwo, a spokesman for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), confirmed the authenticity of a viral telephone conversation between Peter Obi and Bishop Oyedepo.
Okonkwo, in a release made via his social media handles on Sunday morning, said Obi was simply asking Oyedepo to help pass a message to voters.
Okonkwo, speaking on reactions trailing the audio’s release, said Obi was not fanning a religious war but “the other party” was.
His statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to the publication of this audio tape of private conversation between Peter Obi and Bishop Oyedepo. It is not surprising that these political criminals are trying to spin the conversation as if Obi was making a religious statement.
“Firstly, the context of the conversation was aptly put by Bishop Oyedepo when he said, ‘All Nigerians have equal stake in this nation, nobody has the right to claim that he is dashing something to someone’.
“H. E. Peter Obi was simply urging the Bishop to help him push this message of equal stake of all Nigerians in the Nigerian project to his people and the christiandom because the politicians of the other party is carrying on this campaign as if it is a religious war.
“To drive home this point, he informed him that he visited the traditional ruler of Offa, the Olofa of Offa, who is a Muslim, but who advised Obi to get the support of Oyedepo and be assured of his own support. No Politician has ever visited the Olofa of Offa. It is clear to everybody that the APC political party that has a Presidential Candidate, Vice Presidential Candidate, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, National Chairman of the Party all from one religion at a time the CJN is a Muslim is the Party that has declared religious war on Nigerians and we must all rise up together to fight this unconstitutional act of religious intolerance of other religions by APC.
“I went around with Obi on campaign train and never saw him discriminate against any religion. Of course he can’t because his Vice is a Muslim unlike APC. I resigned from APC because of their religious intolerance. Nigerians should disregard any insinuation of religious bigots about this tape.”
