The Founder of the Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, has denied ever campaigning for any politician, including Peter Obi ahead of any election in Nigeria.
Speaking today, April 2 at the church’s headquarters in Ogun State on the subject of faith, the Bishop stressed that 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. If you still come again, I will still tell you, it doesn’t change.”
Yesterday, April 1, an online newspaper, Peoples Gazette, had released an audio recording in which Peter Obi solicited the support of Oyedepo to help get votes from Christians in South-West.
Obi, who is former governor of Anambra State, said in the audio that the votes were needed because the 2023 presidential election was a religious war.
“Daddy, I need you to speak to your people in the South-West and Kwara, the Christians in the South-West and Kwara. This is a religious war. Like I keep saying: if this works, you people will never regret the support,” he said in the audio.
The audio attracted criticism for Obi, with some of his supporters saying it was doctored.
Source: Daily Trust

spokesperson for the Labour Party (LP) Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo has admitted that the party’s Presidential candidate, Peter Obi merely begged Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church to held push his case for Presidency.
Reacting to the leaked audio conversation between Peter Obi and the Bishop, which is currently treding on the social media, Okowonkwo regretted that some people are trying to spin the conversation to portray Obi as a religious bigot.
“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’.
“H E @PeterObi 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 christiandom because the politicians of the other party is carrying on this campaign as if it is a religious war.
“To drive home this point, he informed him that he visited the traditional ruler of Offa, the Olofa of Offa, who is a Muslim, but who advised Obi to get the support of Oyedepo and be assured of his own support. No Politician has ever visited the Olofa of Offa.
“It is clear to everybody that the APC political party that has a Presidential Candidate, Vice Presidential Candidate, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, National Chairman of the Party all from one religion at a time the CJN is a Muslim is the Party that has declared religious war on Nigerians and we must all rise up together to fight this unconstitutional act of religious intolerance of other religions by APC.
“I went around with Obi on campaign train and never saw him discriminate against any religion. Of course he can’t because his Vice is a Muslim unlike APC.
“I resigned from APC because of their religious intolerance. Nigerians should disregard any insinuation of religious bigots about this tape.”

A middle aged man has been removed from an Abuja-Lagos bound aircraft for openly threatening “war” if the President elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is inaugurated on May 29, 2023.
Information reaching us said that the man, unidentified, was on Ibom Air from Abuja on the way to Lagos yesterday, March 31, evening, shouting openly before other passengers that Tinubu must not be sworn in as President.
According to an eyewitness, the man stood in the middle of the plane and raised his voice, shouting that Tinubu must never be sworn in and that there would be “war” if that happened.
The airport security authorities were invited as his shouting roused anxiety amongst the passengers to evacuate him.

The incident, according to witnesses, held up the aircraft for more than an hour, as the 6pm flight was yet to move as of 7pm.
In the video obtained, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria security men could be seen carrying the middle-aged man off the plane, as he kept shouting: “Obidients, you’re here. They are doing this to me. Obidients you’re here, I am naked. Obidients you’re here, I am going naked.”

In a bid to strengthen public confidence as a credible barometer of public opinion, the Nigerian media is set to inaugurate a nine-member board of the National Media Complaints Commission  (NMCC), otherwise known as the National Ombudsman.

Members of the commission who are drawn from the media, the bar, the academia, and civil society  are Mr. Emeka Izeze , FNGE, former Managing Director, Guardian Newspapers (Chairman),  Mr. A. B Mahmoud, SAN, OON, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna, Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Academics) Paul University, Awka, Anambra State; Dr. Hussain Abdu, a Development Specialist and  Country Director, Care International (Nigeria); Mr. Lanre Idowu, FNGE, Editor-in-Chief, Diamond Publications Ltd. and Founder, Diamond  Awards For Media Excellence (DAME); Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Mrs. Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, FNGE, a Journalist, Lawyer and Arbitrator ; Mrs. Eugenia Abu, Broadcaster, Author, and Columnist, and the Chair, House of Representatives Committee on Information.

The Inauguration, scheduled for Monday, April 3, has been described as a major step by the industry to strengthen public confidence in the media through prompt resolution of issues bordering on ethical breaches in media content.

A statement signed by the President of both the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria NPAN and Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), Malam Kabiru A. Yusuf said that the process is being driven by the following bodies:

Nigeria Press Organisation (NPO) comprising

The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN)

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE)

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)

The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON)

The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP)

As well as other strategic media players and the civil society, in particular, the MacArthur Foundation.

He said that the commission will serve as an independent forum for resolving complaints about the press quickly, fairly, and free of charge; maintain high standards of Nigerian Journalism and journalistic ethics; and defend the freedom of the press and the rights of the people to know.

It would be recalled that prior to the February 22, 2023 announcement of the composition of the commission, each media house had been directed to institute at the newspaper level, the local Ombudsman. The National Ombudsman will serve as an appellate body for the local Ombudsman as well as a court of first instance.

Governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have collectively condemned those they described as “unpatriotic elements” plotting to truncate Nigeria’s democracy through Interim National Government.
They said, after a meeting in Abuja yesterday, March 31: “it is sad that some unpatriotic elements are nursing the evil plot for interim government, which will amount to subverting our national democratic progress.
“It is commendable however, that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Transitional Council issued a statement restating the Federal Government’s commitment towards a successful inauguration of a new President on May 29th, 2023.
“Equally, we appreciate the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to the transition as well as the support of all security agencies.
“We therefore call on all citizens to remain vigilant and continue to support Nigeria’s democratic development, which the campaign for interim government is meant to truncate.”
Source: Vanguard