Victor EzejaThe Labour Party has stated that its presidential candidate in the 25th February election, Mr Peter Obi, will remain in Nigeria to challenge the outcome of the polls to a logical conclusion despite threats from opposition forces.
The party said it has observed alleged attempts by the ruling All Progressives Congress in connivance with state institutions to silence Obi by arresting him with false charges of causing violence and insurrection in the country.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Chief Spokesperson of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Tanko Yunusa.
The party said Obi has been urged by many associates to leave the country because of mounting pressure on him from opposition forces who are allegedly scheming to discredit and indirectly compel him to abandon his right to seek redress in court over the outcome of the presidential election.
The Spokesperson said that the audio currently circulating alleged to be that of a conversation between Obi and Bishop Oyedepo of Living Faith Church was manipulated as part of the grand plan to tarnish the LP candidate’s image.
He said that Obi had at no time right from the campaign period, said anything that implies that the 2023 election is a “religious war” as portrayed in the purported audio call.
He added that Obi had repeatedly stated that “no one should vote for him based on tribe or religion, but rather on the assessment of Character, Competence, Capacity, Credibility and Compassion you can trust to create a New Nigeria!”
Yunusa said that the party’s legal team had been instructed to take appropriate legal action against media platforms that originated the circulation of the said fake video.
“In the past few weeks, Mr Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the February 25th, 2023 presidential election has been contacted by associates, elder statesmen, family and friends with concerns for his personal safety.
“These concerns have increased intensely in the last few days as immense pressure, has been mounted directly on Mr Obi to leave the country, no doubt from sources allied to the All-Progressive Congress (APC) and its agents in the security services. Mr Obi has been repeatedly and categorically told that he has a choice to leave the country or face the prospect of being arrested on false charges of inciting insurrection in the country,” it stated.
“It is difficult to fathom and indeed unfortunate and regrettable that state institutions have become part of a well calculated, deliberate and orchestrated campaign of calumny by the APC to discredit and delegitimize Mr Peter Obi and compel him to abandon his right to seek redress in court following the outcome of the last election which was adjudged both locally and internationally to have failed to meet any standard of credibility or fairness.
“As part of the grand design, they are circulating a fake doctored audio call. At no time throughout the campaign and now did Mr Peter Obi ever say, think or even imply that the 2023 election is or was a religious war. It is very sad and wicked the attempts to manipulate Nigerians.
“Our legal team have been instructed to take appropriate legal actions against Peoples Gazette and others,” he disclosed.
Recall that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had on Monday in Washington DC accused Obi and his vice presidential candidate, Dr Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, of inciting insurrection in the country.
Obi, while reacting to that on Tuesday, said he has never encouraged anyone or group to display violent acts in any part of the country, adding that the Minister’s allegations were “malicious and fictitious.”
Yunusa lamented that despite the Labour Party denouncing the said audio call, its contents had been translated to other Nigerian languages and circulated in most parts of Northern Nigeria with some Muslim clerics deceived and instigated to use the contents for their sermons at various Mosques during the usual Friday prayers.
“This is a dangerous development at a time when the APC led-government and the APC party which have been awarded undeserved and unfair victory should be more concerned in addressing the ethnic and religious frictions unfortunately created by the outcome of the elections,” he stated.
The statement said Obi and his supporters known as Obidients have remained focused on their mission of a new Nigeria built on the foundation of unity and sound democratic principles that recognise the interest of the citizens.
The spokesperson further alleged that “there are many more campaigns of calumny against Mr Peter Obi planned for the near future both before and during the court process.
“However, we want to make it clear to the APC party, APC led-government and its agents that Mr Peter Obi a widely travelled man has no intention to leave the country at this time irrespective of the pressure on him and his family.”
Yunusa said that seeking redress in court over the presidential election is Obi’s right and he is determined to pursue it to a conclusive end.
He called on all concerned Nigerians and the International Community to caution the APC and the institutions allegedly being used to attack and unleash the campaign of calumny on Obi for insisting on pursuing his mandate in court.
The party maintained that Obi has never preached violence even after the election as he has continued to impress on his supporters the essence of following the legal process and would not now or in the future encourage any violence against the state, adding that he has no reason to be desperate as he believes in a new Nigeria defined by opportunities for all, an end to poverty, criminality and corruption in government.
The party further appealed to religious leaders, especially in the North not to allow themselves to be used as instruments of deepening the religious and ethnic divide in the country, adding that irrespective of whatever the outcome of the court process may be, they are committed to the obligation of ensuring peaceful coexistence of Nigerians.
“We call on President Buhari to rein in his desperate officials at all levels as their actions or inactions could lead to an unnecessary crisis in the country,” he stated.
The Chief Spokesperson concluded by urging all Nigerians to remain peaceful and law abiding, and reminded those bent on heating up the polity, creating divisions and tension, that Nigeria is their only country and it is the duty of all to focus on how to tackle its myriad of political and economic challenges.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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