*I never spoke to Obi as alleged – Oyedepo
*It’s APC’s endless subterfuge – Obi-Datti
The founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, on Sunday reacted to a purported trending audio stating that he never had a conversation the Labour Party’s presidential candidate as claimed in the audio.
The audio which has been in circulation, claimed that Pastor Oyedepo had a conversation with Peter Obi during the last election.
But, dismissing the audio as a ruse, Pastor Oyedepo stated that he never campaigned for any politician or spoken on their behalf in the build-up to the 2023 general elections in the country.
Oyedepo while speaking to the congregation at the church’s headquarters, Faith Tabernacle, Ota, Ogun State, in response to the audio said there was nothing like that.
The cleric, emphatically said said he never spoke to any group of people on behalf of any politician, but added that all the political parties sought his prayers and advice before the election and he availed them such.
According to him, nobody had ever told him what to say before, during the election and after, but refused to make any further comment.
Oyedepo said, “I have never campaigned for anybody or spoken on anybody’s behalf and I will not do that till I go to heaven.
“There is no (political) party in this country that didn’t come to me for prayers and advice.
“I advised them, some, they didn’t take. Those who chose to take it saw results; those who said no are still going about it.
“If you still come again, I will still tell you, it doesn’t change,”
*Its APC’s endless subterfuge – Obi-Datti
On its part, the Labour Party dismissed the allegation of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, asking Bishop Oyedepo to do what was alleged in the audio.
Attributing the pressure for the several attacks and allegations against Obi to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), LP added that their “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”.
In a statement by Diran Onifade, Head, Obi-Datti Media Team, he stated that “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”.
He cited examples with what he described as “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 the country”.
According to Onifade, “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”.
