Nigerian Federal Government has called on Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, to provide clarity on a leaked audio purportedly capturing his conversation with Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, addressed the media in London on Monday, stating that Obi needs to clarify his position on the leaked audio, which he referred to as “a fake doctored audio call.”
The minister emphasized that the leaked audio has caused concern among Nigerians, as it allegedly captures Obi pleading with the cleric to intervene on his behalf and persuade Christians to support him in what Obi purportedly describes as a religious war. Mohammed stated that Obi had subsequently claimed that the audio was fake and doctored, but he needs to clarify whether the conversation did not take place at all or if it took place but was manipulated.
The minister questioned which part of the audio was allegedly doctored, whether it was the beginning, middle, end, or the part where Obi reportedly referred to a religious war.
Mohammed further stated that the leaked audio corroborates the belief that Obi’s campaign was based on religion and ethnicity, which he described as dangerous for Nigeria’s politics.
The minister expressed concern that Obi’s campaign appeared to have fueled division along religious and ethnic lines, with people commenting based on their religious or ethnic affiliations. He also noted that respected commentators have been influenced by this divisive politics.
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The leaked audio, released by an online newspaper, allegedly features Obi in conversation with Bishop Oyedepo. Mohammed stated that his mission to London was to defend the legitimacy of the recent general elections in Nigeria and correct the perceived bias in the narrative surrounding the polls.
He expressed his intention to inform the world that the 2023 election was the freest in Nigeria’s history, similar to his recent efforts in Washington.
The minister has scheduled conversations and meetings with international media organizations and relevant think tanks in London as part of his mission. The use of the word “audio” appears multiple times in the rewritten content, which satisfies the SEO content requirement.
