Newspaper insists Obi’s leaked audio tape authentic, amid threat of lawsuit

Newspaper company, Peoples Gazette has insisted that its leaked audio tape of a conversation between the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25 election, Peter Obi with Founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, is authentic, following threat of a lawsuit by the political party and its chieftain.

The audio tape was published, last Saturday, as both the Labour Party and its chieftain, Obi claim is a ‘deepfake document severally manipulated and doctored.’

While Obi has denied making comments quoted in the tape, the Labour Party has threatened to explore legal option to seeking redress, even as Bishop Oyedepo has distanced himself from the alleged conversation.

According to experts, the audio tape is the outcome of several joined but separate conversations between Obi and Oyedepo along with the former’s discussions with other subjects manipulated and edited to form a four-minute long dialogue.

This is also as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had moved denied complicity in the leaking or tracking of telephone calls of users in the country.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had also picked issues with Obi for insinuating and depicting the 2023 Presidential Elections as ‘religious war’ during the said audio conversation with Oyedepo, when he also allegedly begged the ceric to use his clout to influence votes for him.

However, amid a lawsuit threat by Obi, the newspaper has claimed that the audio tape is authentic, as it also declared that it stands by it.

Reacting, Deputy Managing Editor of Peoples Gazette, Boladale Adekoya, also alleged that Obi wants to force them into revealing the source of the leaked audio at trial but that they will protect the source to any length.

According to Adekoya, the Obi’s leaked audio clip was sourced and properly authenticated in advance of running it.

“The audio and the context surrounding it were properly sourced and authenticated in line with journalism best practices.

“Finally, we maintain in no uncertain terms that we will uphold the principle of source protection to any length,” Adekoya said.

The media platform further stated that it ‘was prepared to go to any length to protect the source of the clip.’

It would be recalled that Obi had described as ‘unfortunate and sad,’ the attempts by the ‘APC as a Party, and the APC Led-government through some government officials and agencies to divert’ the attention of the Labour Party from ‘from our blatantly stolen mandate.’

According to Obi, ‘these have come and continued to manifest in different ways, such as the malicious accusation of the Minister of Information, Mr Lai Mohammed, the circulation of a fake doctored audio call, and a pressure on me to leave the country.’

Dr Obi who made the disclosure while posting a series of tweets, last Wednesday, also revealed that the Labour Party is consulting with its lawyers with a view to suing those he claims to be behind the said plot.

In a series of tweets via his personal and verified Twitter handle (@PeterObi), the Labour Party chieftain reiterated his claim that the alleged ‘the audio call being circulated is fake, and at no time throughout the campaign and now did I ever say, think, or even imply that the 2023 election is, or was a religious war.’

“The present attempts by the APC as a Party, and the APC Led-government through some government officials and agencies to divert our attention from our blatantly stolen mandate is unfortunate and sad.

“These have come and continued to manifest in different ways, such as the malicious accusation of the Minister of Information, Mr Lai Mohammed, the circulation of a fake doctored audio call, and a pressure on me to leave the country.

“Let me reiterate that the audio call being circulated is fake, and at no time throughout the campaign and now did I ever say, think, or even imply that the 2023 election is, or was a religious war.

“The attempts to manipulate Nigerians is very sad and wicked. Our legal team have been instructed to take appropriate legal actions against Peoples Gazette and others,” Obi tweeted.

On its part, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, in a statement, Tuesday, noted that the commission had been inundated with enquiries on claims of telephone ‘tracking’ and ‘leakage’ by some individuals and groups on social media.

According to Muoka, the Commission clarifies that it ‘denies the allegations in their entirety,’ adding that ‘by the provisions of the Nigerian Communication Act (NCA) 2003 and other extant Laws of the Federation, the Commission does not and cannot ‘track’ nor ‘leak’ telephone conversations of anyone.’

The NCC spokesman said the commission has reported the allegations, ‘which we take seriously, to relevant security agencies for proper investigation and necessary action.’

NCC further restated its commitment to discharging its responsibilities to Nigerians ‘in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; the NCA 2003; other extant laws of the federation; and global best practices.’

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission denies these allegations and advises the public to disregard them,” he added.

Also, reacting earlier, Bishop Oyedepo, speaking during his  regular Sunday sermon at the church’s headquarters in Otta, Ogun State, said he never campaigned for any politician or spoken on their behalf in the build-up to the 2023 General Elections in the country, though adding that ‘all political parties sought his prayers and advice before the election and he availed them.’

“I have never campaigned for anybody or spoken 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 advice.

“I advised them, some, they didn’t take. Those who chose to take it saw results; those who said no are still going about it.

“If you still come again, I will still tell you, it doesn’t change,” Oyedepo said.