The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP)Peter Obi, has agreed that he called Bishop David Oyedeo of Winners Chapel to canvass for votes but never mentioned anything like religious war in the telephone conversation.
An audio conversation between Obi and David Oyedepo, the founder of Winners Chapel, had leaked in April.
In the wake of the release of the clip, Obi had said it was doctored, adding that at no time did he “ever say, think, or even imply that the 2023 election is, or was a religious war”.
Commenting again on the matter during a progamme on national Television on Monday, Obi admitted that he called the cleric 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,” Obi said.
“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.
