Peter Obi has reportedly dismissed Kenneth Okonkwo, one of his spokesmen for acknowledging a leaked audio clip.
The report and leaked audio clip were published by a media house on Saturday evening.
The clip was reportedly a conversation between Labour Party’s Peter Obi and Bishop Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church.
Not long after the audio was released, one of Obi’s spokespeople Kenneth Okonkwo acknowledged the audio.
However, Mr Okonkwo said it had been taken out of context.
Okonkwo’s Statement
The report alleges that Obi sought help from the bishop to get votes from Christians.
He allegedly tried to pull the religious card to discredit the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, Okonkwo says Obi did not attempt in any way to use religion as a tool.
He says that the APC which floated a Muslim-Muslim ticket did and should be accused of that.
You Should Read: Bishop Oyedepo Breaks Silence On Leaked Audio
Okonkwo, in a Twitter thread, says the private conversation between Obi and the Living Faith Church founder was taken out of the context by ‘political criminals’.
A Deep Fake Audio
On the other hand, Mr Obi says the audio was created by APC, as part of its propaganda to distract attention from the controversial victory of its candidate in the February 25 presidential election.
The head of the Obi-Datti Media Office, Diran Onifade, says the viral audio further confirms the desperation of the APC.
“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,” says Onifade.
According to him, “while we are toeing the constitutional path to retrieve our mandate.
“Those who have truncated the wishes of the majority of Nigerians have recourse 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 Port Harcourt 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 Nigeria.
“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,” says the media head.
In the February 25 presidential election, Mr Obi lost to Bola Tinubu of the APC in a disputed election described by many observers both locally and internationally as flawed.
