Kenneth Okonkwo comments on leaked audio reportedly featuring Peter Obi and Bishop Oyedepo

[p]The spokesperson for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, has addressed the leaked audio allegedly between Peter Obi and Bishop Oyedepo in which they were said to be canvassing for Christian votes. The audio had gone viral, and Kenneth Okonkwo clarified the claim of instigating a religious war. According to the actor-turned-politician, Peter Obi sought help to push his message across to Christians just as he stated in the leaked audio about a meeting with the Olofa of Ofa - who is a Muslim.

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[p]In his statement, Kenneth Okonkwo argued that the context of the conversation was put aptly by Bishop Oyedepo when he said, "All Nigerians have an equal stake in this nation, nobody has the right to claim that he is dashing something to someone." He further explained that Peter Obi was simply urging the Bishop to help him push the message of equal stake of all Nigerians in the Nigerian project to his people and the Christendom. According to him, the politicians of the other party are carrying on this campaign as if it is a religious war.

[p]To drive home his point, Peter Obi informed the Olofa of Offa, who is a Muslim, that he sought the support of Bishop Oyedepo, and the traditional ruler advised him to be assured of his own support. According to Kenneth Okonkwo, no politician has ever visited the Olofa of Offa. He insisted that spinning the narration to mean Christian-Muslim competition is intentionally instigated by the opposition party, APC, to stir a religious issue.

[p]Kenneth Okonkwo also accused the APC political party of declaring religious war on Nigerians, citing the fact that the party's presidential candidate, vice presidential candidate, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, and National Chairman of the party are all from one religion at a time when the Chief Justice of Nigeria is a Muslim. He called on all Nigerians to rise up together to fight this unconstitutional act of religious intolerance of other religions by the APC.

[p]He also disclosed that he resigned from the APC because of their religious intolerance. He urged Nigerians to disregard any insinuation of religious bigotry about the tape, emphasizing that he went around with Peter Obi on the campaign train and never saw him discriminate against any religion, unlike the APC.