Valentine Obienyem, who is a media aide to Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has stated that a leaked audio recording of Obi’s conversation with Bishop David Oyedepo was edited out of context. According to Obienyem, the conversation that was recorded was part of a discussion about the All Progressives Congress (APC) fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the 2015 presidential election in Nigeria. The APC had selected Bola Ahmed Tinubu as their presidential candidate, and Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
In the leaked audio clip, Obi can be heard apparently urging Oyedepo to encourage Christians in the South-West and Kwara regions to vote for him, saying, “This is a religious war.” However, Obienyem claimed that this statement was taken out of context, and that Obi’s true intention was to urge Oyedepo to encourage Christians in those regions to vote for the Labour Party.
Obienyem further claimed that the conversation was heavily edited to remove important context, and that the person responsible for leaking the recording was someone he referred to as “our Nnewi prodigal brother.” It is unclear who Obienyem was referring to with this statement.
The leaked audio caused controversy and sparked debates about religious politics in Nigeria. Many people criticized Obi for allegedly trying to use religion as a political tool to gain votes. Obi, however, denied the allegations and stated that he had always campaigned on the basis of his performance and track record.
In all, Valentine Obienyem, a media aide to Peter Obi, has claimed that a leaked audio recording of Obi’s conversation with Bishop David Oyedepo was taken out of context and edited to remove important details about the discussion. The conversation was part of a broader discussion about the APC’s decision to field a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the 2015 presidential election in Nigeria. The leaked audio caused controversy and sparked debates about religious politics in Nigeria.
