The spokesperson of the Obi-Datti media office, Diran Onifade, has dismissed a purported audio recording of a telephone conversation ‘between the presidential candidate of the Labour party, Peter Obi, and the Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo,’ as a product of the endless forgeries the All Progressives Congress has a notoriety for.

 

An audio recording of an alleged conversation between Obi and Oyedepo in which he was purported to have asked the cleric to mobilize support for him ahead of the disputed election, has gone viral online. A male voice which many claimed was Obi’s voice was heard saying the votes were needed because the 2023 presidential election was a religious war.

 

“Daddy, I need you to speak to your people in the South-West and Kwara, the Christians in the South-West and Kwara.This is a religious war. Like I keep saying: if this works, you people will never regret the support.”

 

Reacting to the audio recording, Onifade in a statement released said the audio is ‘’deep fake’. He accused the APC of pushing the recording out in its attempt to retain power by foul means.

 

“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 Nigerians 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.”