The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has personally reacted to the recording making the rounds on social media, while announcing legal action against Peoples Gazette over a fake audio call with Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide.
In the audio clip which has gone viral, Obi was alleged to have described the 2023 presidential election as a ‘religious war’ after it was first published by an online newspaper; Peoples Gazette on Saturday, April 1, 2023.
However, reacting to the leaked audio in a series of tweets on the micro-blogging site, Twitter, Obi described the audio as “fake“, adding that “no time throughout the campaign and now” did he “ever say, think, or even imply that the 2023 election is, or was a religious war.”
The former Anambra Governor lamented that the “attempts to manipulate Nigerians is very sad and wicked”, adding that his legal team has been “instructed to take appropriate legal actions against Peoples Gazette and others.”
Peter Obi wrote: “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.”