The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of sponsoring propaganda to discredit him.
Obi stated this while reacting to an alleged audio recording said to be a conversation between himself and the Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo.
He accused the APC of being unrepentant in sponsoring fake news and propaganda.
The trending audio had alleged that Obi on the eve of the presidential election, asked Bishop Oyedepo to mobilize support for him from the church.
However, reacting to the purported leaked audio conversation through a statement from the Head, Obi Datti Media Office, Diran Onifade, in Abuja, on Sunday, the LP presidential candidate said the mischieve planned by those behind the tape can’t work.
While further denying the audio, Obi said the APC wants to retain itself in power by spreading fake audio files about him.
The former Anambra State Governor however said he is not deterred but remains focused on retrieving his mandate given by Nigerians through constitutional means.
The presidential candidate maintained that, unlike APC which parades forged credentials and even fake Bishops, the Labour Party has always urged Nigerians not to vote along ethnic, religious, or other sentimental lines.
He said, “It appears the All Progressives Congress’ desperation to grab and retain power by foul means has refused to go away more than a month after they have grabbed the election as they planned.
“While we are toeing the constitutional path to retrieve our mandate, those who have truncated the wishes of the majority of Nigerians have recoursed to mischief and endless subterfuge to continue to hold on to what they know does not belong to them.
“From the show of shame in Portharcourt to the drama in the Ibom Air aircraft, both of which they contrived, they have now moved to the circulation of a deep fake audio file aimed at promoting religious tension in the country.
“All these are meant to serve no other purpose than egregious mischief aimed at demarketing Peter Obi. If the goal is to create a credibility problem, the ploy has failed woefully.
“Peter Obi has long been on record as the only presidential candidate who has urged the Nigerian electorate not to vote for him on the basis of religion or tribe .
“We will therefore like to advice our beloved Nigerian people to remain focused on the task to take back the mandate we know was freely given to Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed through legitimate means.
“That is more important than to expect those who ran election on forged credentials and even fake Bishops to stop faking. They cannot stop being fraudulent because that is who they are.”