‘I am under pressure to leave Nigeria,’ Peter Obi cries out, says leaked audio with Oyedepo is fake

Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi has denied claims that he made inflammatory remarks about the 2023 election being a religious war.

Obi spoke out after a leaked audio clip was circulated on social media, purportedly featuring a conversation between him and prominent Christian leader, David Oyedepo.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Obi said the audio was “fake” and accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of trying to “divert attention” from the alleged theft of the election. He also claimed that he was under pressure to leave Nigeria.

He also expressed sadness and frustration at attempts to manipulate Nigerians, vowing to take appropriate legal action against Peoples Gazette for publishing the story.

“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,” the statement read.

Obi, who is contesting the result of the election in court, reiterated his commitment to retrieving his “stolen mandate” and creating a “New Nigeria” characterized by inclusion, justice, equity, fairness, and prosperity.

He also called on Nigerians to remain peaceful and law-abiding, despite the attempts to “heat up the polity” and create divisions.

“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,” he added.