The presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has admitted to having a phone conversation with Presiding Bishop of Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo ahead of the February 25 presidential election but denied using the controversial “religious war” expression.
Obi spoke as a guest on an Arise TV programme on Monday.
Recall that Peoples Gazette had on April 1 published the recording of a phone conversation between Peter Obi and Oyedepo.
A few days after, Obi said that the recording was doctored and insisted that at no time did he say use the expression “religious war” in relation to the election.
He also threatened to sue the online media platform, although not much has been heard about the planned lawsuit
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Speaking on the TV programme, Obi admitted calling Oyedepo to solicit votes.
“Call it whatever you want to call it. Whatever anyone wants to make of it. I am not a religious bigot. Do you think I can just pick a phone and say ‘religious war’? No, I was even begging the bishop to help me ask his people to vote, which was what I was doing for six months — begging.
“I wasn’t saying ‘catch him’, ‘kill him’, ‘force it’. I was even begging. That shows that I continued to look for votes by begging. There were so many things we tried to do but they were not okay.
“Let me tell you; those who have been trying to manipulate Nigerians have been doing it. But it is coming to an end. The people they have been manipulating are dying of hunger.
“They will soon know who is the religious or tribal bigot. I am not one. I have just given you an example of how I built mosques. Till today, no non-Muslim governor has sent more people to Mecca than me.
“I can never say it (election) is a religious war. Because it is not. There was a conversation. But I never said it was a religious war. What for? I am surrounded by people.
“If there was ever an instance where the presidential candidate and his deputy work as brothers, it is me and Datti. And I know and we never stop talking about it.
“For the first time in the history of Nigeria, we have a presidential candidate, running mate and party chairman who were born after Nigeria’s independence.
“We must save this country and he (Datti) knows my commitment to it. I can’t do all these with the background of religious war,” Obi said.