The Labour Party (LP) campaign council has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to discredit Peter Obi, the LP's presidential candidate. The council responded to a leaked audio clip that purportedly features Obi and David Oyedepo, the founder of Winners Chapel.
In the audio clip, a voice that sounds similar to Obi's can be heard asking the cleric to persuade Christians in the southwest and Kwara to vote for him in the presidential election, describing the contest as a "religious war."
In a statement issued on Sunday, the LP campaign's head, Diran Onifade, and chief spokesperson, Yunusa Tanko, claimed that the audio was a deepfake intended to damage Obi's reputation. They argued that the APC was resorting to mischief and subterfuge in order to cling to power.
The statement further stated that Obi has long been on record as the only presidential candidate who has urged Nigerian voters not to vote for him based on religion or tribe. The LP campaign council accused political criminals of attempting to spin the conversation as if the LP candidate was making a religious comment.
Earlier on Sunday, Valentine Obienyem, Obi's media aide, said that the leaked audio of his principal's conversation with Oyedepo was edited out of context.