Ripples over Obi’s ‘religious war’ phone conversation with Oyedepo

The leaked audio of the telephone conversation between the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church Worldwide, aka Winners Chapel, has continued to generate ripples.

While some observers said they were not surprised by how desperate Obi was in becoming president to the extent of weaponising religion without being mindful of the dangers involved, others said he had squandered his political fortunes because it would be difficult for adherents of other religions to trust him with his votes.

Obi came third after Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who came second in the February 25 presidential election won by APC’s Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In the leaked audio, Obi was heard begging Oyedepo to help him get votes from Christians in South-West and Kwara State.

He stated that the votes were needed because the February 25 presidential election was a religious war.

Millions of Nigerians who commented on social media said they were grossly disappointed and would never trust Obi again.

Religious organisations contacted last night said the words coming from Obi were heavy.

Officials of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), the Supreme Council of Sharia in Nigeria (NSCIA), among others, said they were studying the audio before deciding what to do.

Below is the conversation

Obi: Good morning Daddy.

Oyedepo: Praise the Lord, how are you Sir?

Obi: Fine Daddy, good morning Sir.

Oyedepo: Amen, in Jesus name we are going to get bright results.

Obi: Thank you Daddy, when I hear this, your call and prayers, Dad is very dear to me. Like I keep saying, if this works, you people will never regret the support.

Oyedepo: Amen! Amen! We look forward for God’s intervention.

Obi: Thank you Dad, I need you to speak to your people in South West and Kwara, the Christians in South West and Kwara, this is a religious war.

Oyedepo: I believe that, you know I did a release ‘Nigeria Going Forward’ and I am coming with the second one today, but in the name of Jesus, this would be a success, you know what I said, ‘Nigeria requires a strong and healthy personality, I said anyone whose source of wealth could not be verified should not have access to governance. So, all we are doing, we are appealing to the conscience of people to know where to go. But I want to assure you that the result will be favourable.

Obi: Thank you Daddy.

Oyedepo: So relax yourself, don’t be apprehensive, are you in Lagos or Abuja?

Obi: I am in Onitsha now.

Oyedepo: So, you’ll be there for the election?

Obi: Yes Sir

Oyedepo: Very good, that is where to be, I say all Nigerians have equal stake, nobody has right to claim that he is dashing something to someone, we are coming out of it, so how is the East generally and the Middle Belt?

Obi: East is okay, Middle Belt is okay, but places like Kogi, Kwara and Niger are worrisome.

Oyedepo: We will get to Kwara.

Obi: Fantastic, I went to Kwara and visited Olofa of Offa who told me that nobody had ever come here, with you no problem but the Christian community in Kwara and Niger, and I am also working in Kogi same way.

Oyedepo: Okay then I will target this clip to them; I will make sure it gets them.

Obi: Thank you I will be looking forward to the release as well, please send it to me.

Oyedepo: Okay, I will do that, God bless you.

Obi: Thank you, Daddy.

Weaponising religion dangerous – Sheikh Khalid, Prof Kari, Nnamani

The Chairman, Islamic Research and Da’awah Foundation (IRDF), Sheikh Mohammad Nura Khalid, has said that the leaked audio between Mr Obi and Bishop Oyedepo was unfortunate.

Popularly known as Digital Imam, Sheik Khalid, who is a former Chief Imam of Apo Legislative Quarters Juma’at Mosque, Abuja told Daily Trust last night that it was unfair that religious leaders who supposed to lead the people right were manipulating religion for selfish interest.

According to him, it should be known to such people that Nigeria is a multi-religious country, thus the people must live together to bring out the country from the trauma it found itself.

“There is insecurity, there is poverty, and there is grand corruption. Instead of them to work for workable solutions to the problems, they are trying to sing the song of inter-religious crisis in the name of playing politics. It is unfortunate,” Khalid said.

On his part, an Associate Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Abuja, Abubakar Kari, said Obi’s utterances had the potential of doing incalculable damage to his rising political profile.

“Obi has always been accused and seen by some as given to wilfully and deliberately playing the ethnic and religious card. These allegations and suspicion will likely intensify, no matter the genuineness of the tape, because politics is more about perception than reality.

“As it is, many of Obi’s supporters and enthusiasts, particularly those outside his faith group, were embarrassed by the development. This may be politically costly for him now and in the future. Beyond merely dismissing the tape, he and his minders really need to do a lot to persuade friends, fans and foes alike that he is not what the alleged leaked conversation portrayed. Otherwise, he should forget about ever getting the support of those who felt offended by the alleged leaked conversation.”

On whether the development will deepen mutual suspicion and recriminations between the two major religions, Professor said, “The build-up to the polls witnessed unprecedented manipulation of the electorate and brazen and reckless mobilisation of voters by cavalierly appealing to their religious affiliations. All the major parties were complicit in that. This Obi-Oyedepo alleged conversation can only worsen matters.

“Unfortunately, only moral suasion can be recommended in this circumstance. Politicians should retrace their steps forthwith. Their wanton manipulation of religion for political gain imperils the nation. Also, religious leaders should desist from being partisan and divisive. The conduct of many of them across the political divide raised the political temperature to a combustible level, and this is very dangerous. Religion and politics are a toxic mix any day.”

On his part, a former Enugu State governor, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, said in a statement that, “Peter Obi deflowered the virgin innocence of political patriotism and nationalism in Nigeria. He fed our people with the sacred apple and Nigeria may never be the same again.

“What was in whispers and hush tones, Peter proclaimed loud in decibels in Cathedrals and Holy Sepulchres. The Roman Catholic dominant politics Peter mastered and foisted on Anambra people when he was a governor was a prelude to his nationwide campaigns,” he said.

He also stated that Peter’s religious war in garbs of Labour Party politics were nationalised and universalised for all Christian denominations among Nigerians home and abroad.

Picking the pieces

However, some of Obi’s supporters had alleged that the audio was doctored despite admittance by the LP Presidential Campaign Council.

In a statement yesterday morning, Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign, confirmed the authenticity of the audio, but claimed it was taken out of context by critics.

He wrote: “Our attention has been drawn to the publication of this audio tape of private conversation between @PeterObi and Bishop Oyedepo. It is not surprising that these political criminals are trying to spin the conversation as if Obi was making a religious statement.

“Firstly, the context of the conversation was aptly put by Bishop Oyedepo when he said, “All Nigerians have equal stake in this nation, nobody has the right to claim that he is dashing something to someone. Peter Obi was simply urging the Bishop to help him push this message of equal stake of all Nigerians in the Nigerian project to his people and the Christendom because the politicians of the other party are carrying on this campaign as if it is a religious war.”

Obidients slam Okonkwo

Meanwhile, some supporters of Obi yesterday took to their Twitter account handles to slam Okonkwo over his comment on the audio clip. For instance, a tweet with the handle, @Jidejay, alleged that Okonkwo is a mole in the Labour Party. He tweeted, “Fellow Obidients, please pay no regard to Kenneth Okonkwo’s thread…We have it in good authority that he’s a mole planted by APC to ruin our efforts….watch him behind Tinubu.”

Another user of the microblogging site, @firstladyship, said: “Kenneth Okonkwo is on his own! His thread is his personal opinion! I told him my mind, & relayed same to Peter Obi. The older generation should limit themselves to TV appearances; leave Twitter rebuttals for the Obidients. We are more than capable of trashing ALL APC Propaganda.”(sic).

Another tweet,@jeffphilips1 said:  “Obidient youths are not angry with Kenneth Okonkwo for confirming a false video, they’re angry with him for not allowing them to manipulate the narrative around the tape.”

Audio clip deep fake, says Obi-Datti Media Office

Also reacting, Diran Onifade, the head of the Obi-Datti Media Office, in a statement yesterday, described the audio as deep fake, alleging that it was another propaganda by the APC “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.”

He said: “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.

“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.”

I’ve never campaigned for any politician-Oyedepo

Bishop Oyedepo, in his reaction yesterday, neither denied the conversation nor confirmed it outright.

He said he had never campaigned for any politician during any election in the country.

He spoke at the church’s headquarters in Ogun State while speaking on the subject of faith.

Oyedepo said he never spoke to any group of people on behalf of any politician.

“Nobody had ever told me what to say in this world. No. I have never campaigned for anybody or speak 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 for advice. I advised them, some, they didn’t take. Those who chose to take it, they see results; those who said no, they are going about it (laughs). If you still come again, I will still tell you, it doesn’t change,” he said.

Obi’s presidential ambition dead-Tinubu campaign

The Minister of State for Labour and spokesperson for Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign, Festus Keyamo, SAN, in his reaction to the audio yesterday, said God had exposed Obi for declaring a religious war in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country, declaring his dream to become a president one day is dead.

Keyamo said, “Having confirmed the authenticity of what is now known as the Peter Obi ‘Yes-daddy’ audio, I think the real culprit here are the so-called ‘men of God’ who allowed themselves to be used by an unscrupulous politician to seek to inflame religious passions in our dear country in the name of politics.

“So, when they were telling their hapless adherents that they heard the voice of the Lord, it was actually Peter Obi’s telephone calls they heard and not God’s voice. This is deceitful, shameful and disgusting. Imagine a so-called ‘man of God’ comparing notes with a politician as to what he said or what he would say on the pulpit in order to get him votes.

“I hope this sufficiently embarrasses the ‘men of God’ in Nigeria to forthwith desist from using the pulpit for politics and the Church-goers to stop being teleguided by their self-serving ‘men of God’.

“As for Peter Obi who declared an election a ‘religious war’ in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country like ours, the real God has just exposed him and his dream to be Nigeria’s president one day has just died a natural death. ‘Yes-daddy’ is now permanently etched in the consciousness of the nation and we will NEVER forget!”

We know those who leaked the conversation with Oyedepo – Obi’s aide

Speaking on the matter, Obi’s media aide, Valentine Obienyem  said he knew the person who allegedly leaked his principal’s conversation with David Oyedepo.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Obienyem said: “I heard they set up a committee made up of some communications experts, headed by our prodigal brother from Nnewi. They are reviewing all calls Obi made in the last three years, and especially now to see if he mentioned interim government or anything that will make them prosecute him for treason when and if they take over.

“Till now, they are yet to see any. The badly doctored conservation with Bishop Oyedepo released by our Nnewi prodigal brother is the much they have discovered so far. They edited out the Muslim-Muslim ticket that led to the discussion, where Obi said that in a society like ours, religious balancing was a necessary consideration and that their recklessness had made Christians to assume it was a religious war.”

By Abbas Jimoh, Saawua Terzungwe (Abuja), Ademola Olonilua & Abdullateef Aliyu (Lagos)

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