Daniel Bwala
Heathrow Airport ordeal: Atiku Camp advises Obi to sue FG to fish out imposter
Presidential Campaign Organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the February 25 polls, Atiku Abubakar, has advised the Labour Party chieftain, Peter Obi to take legal action against the Nigerian Government and its Immigration Service (NIS) in order to compel them to reveal the identity of those behind the cloning of the international passport of the LP candidate.
Spokesperson of the campaign Organisation, Daniel Bwala, who gave the advice, Friday, while reacting to the ordeal suffered by Mr Obi at the hands of the United Kingdom Immigration officials, who had detained the Labour Party presidential candidate at the Heathrow Airport in London, late Tuesday, Friday, on suspicion of identity theft after it was discovered that somebody had duplicated the politicians travel documents.
Obi who earlier, same Tuesday, was at the official opening of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Specialist Hospital built by the Sisters of Immaculate Heart Congregation, Nkpor, and also visited St. Charles Borromeo Hospital, Nkpor in Anambra State, where he had made a N10 million donation to the management of the two hospitals, left for London only to be held at the London Heathrow Airport for some hours as security officials reviewed his travel documents.
According to UK authorities, it appeared someone had cloned Obi’s identity for another travel particulars.
The Obi ordeal was made public, Tuesday night, by a former commissioner and Chief of Staff to the LP flagbearer when he was Anambra State Governor, Prof Stella Okunna, in a Facebook post.
However, according to Bwala, Obi should ask the court to compel the Nigerian government to provide the impersonator whom the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) issued Obi’s passport and other details, adding that the impersonator was issued Obi’s passport by the immigration authorities as ‘they have his (Obi) bio data and details, hence, the onus is on the government to smoke out the impersonator and whoever is using him for the criminal act. ‘
“One fact is clear, the impersonator was issued the passport by the Nigerian Immigration. They have his bio data and details about him. Peter Obi should sue the Nigerian government in court and compel them to smoke the man out and whoever may be using him for the smear campaign,” Bwala wrote on his Twitter handle, Friday.
Meanwhile, clearing the air on the purported apology by the UK authorities, the Labour Party Head, Media and Communications of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Diran Onifade, said, in a statement, Thursday, that the LP was ‘not aware of any such apology, and have not issued any statement whatsoever, in that regard.’
“We have been receiving enquiries with regards to a so called apology, purportedly issued by the British Government or any of its agencies, to our Principal Mr Peter Obi, in respect of a routine Immigration engagement with him, as he arrived London, for a brief visit, last Friday, the 7th of April.
“We would like to state emphatically that we are not aware of any such apology, and have not issued any statement whatsoever, in that regard.
“While we continue to examine any dubious or political motive, on the part of the perpetrators of the identity theft,
“We have every confidence in the ability of the British authorities to resolve the matter, to conclusion.
Mr Peter Obi and the LP/PCC have since moved on from the incident and continue to be totally focused;
“…on the legal processes before the Election Petition Tribunal towards the recovery of our mandate, which we are firmly convinced, was overwhelmingly expressed by voters, in the Presidential election of February 25th,” Onifade said.
