Labour Party (LP) has described as mischievous claims that Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, will soon be arrested.
In a statement on Monday, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Pastor Obiora Ifoh, said the party was aware of various trending stories in print and video suggesting that Mr Obi will soon be arrested as the stories are draped with some so-called prophecies calling for prayers on Obi as he would be arrested.
“Ordinarily, such stories should not deserve our attention. However, we are concerned when the faux stories flying around are juxtaposed with video clips spliced from pre-election and campaign speeches where Obi had underscored to Nigerian youths, the importance of taking back our country.
“To contrive such videos as recent remarks and effort to make them look fresh, is simply mischievous, if not criminal. The ploy is simply and surely aimed at orchestrating a false culpability and entrapment. We must reiterate here for the record, Obi’s adherence and commitment to the rule of law and avowal of non-violent politics.
“On March 1st, 2023 when the INEC announced its charade election result by 4 am, Obi supporters across the country and in the diaspora mounted pressure on him to authorize a mass protest but he declined insisting instead that taking back Nigeria through him will come through due and peaceful process and not via violence,” Ifoh said.
He said that the insinuatiom that Obi is orchestrating violence is a figment of the imagination of the authors and giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
He insisted that Obi is not a violent man but he believes justice must reign no matter how long it takes.