The Presidential Campaign Council of Obi-Datti has released a statement denying the authenticity of a leaked audio recording purportedly featuring their Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners’ Chapel). The audio recording, which surfaced on the night of April 1, 2023, allegedly features Obi and Oyedepo discussing ways to mobilize Christian voters in the South-West and areas of the North-Central states such as Kwara, Kogi, and Niger.
[/p]Diran Onifade, the Head of Media and Communications for the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, characterized the leaked audio conversation as a typical example of the numerous falsifications that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is infamous for. Onifade suggested that the APC is desperate to retain power through foul means, and that the leaked audio is an attempt to promote religious tension in the country and demarket Obi.[/
However, Onifade reassured Nigerians that Obi has long been on record as the only presidential candidate who has urged the electorate not to vote for him on the basis of religion or tribe. Onifade emphasized that the focus should remain on the task of taking back the mandate that was freely given to Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed through legitimate means, rather than on the fraudulent tactics of those who ran election on forged credentials and even fake Bishops.[/
The Obi-Datti campaign team's denial of the leaked audio highlights the growing concerns about fake news and deep fakes in the Nigerian political landscape. It also underscores the need for politicians and political parties to focus on issues-based campaigns rather than resorting to underhanded tactics to gain an advantage over their opponents.
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