The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has debunked the trending leaked audio of an alleged phone conversation between himself and the founder of the Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo.
Obi in a long statement on Wednesday evening which was made available via his Twitter page, described the alleged leaked tape as fake and doctored.
Obi was alleged in the said leaked audio to have described the 2023 presidential election as a religious war and urged Bishop Oyedepo to help him mobilize Christian votes.
However, Obi in his response on Wednesday denied the authenticity of the phone conversation and disclosed he has instructed his lawyers to take action against the news platform that first released the purported tape.
According to him, he has never described the 2023 election as a religious war.
The LP candidate also blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the nasty attacks but vowed not to be distracted in his commitment to retrieve the stolen mandate via the courts.
The former Anambra State Governor also disclosed there were pressures on him to flee the country but he won’t succumb.
Below is the full text of what he said:: “I continue to thank all Nigerians, especially the youths and the Obidients, as they have remained focused on the core mission of a New Nigeria that is POssible even after the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
“Before, during, and after the campaign, it is on record that I have maintained my commitment and focus on issue-based campaign about a New Nigeria that is POssible,a shift of emphasis from consumption to production, a New Nigeria characterized 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!
“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 a 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 is 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 with 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. -PO”
