The Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Council has reiterated that its candidate, Peter Obi, will not leave Nigeria despite mounting pressure for him to do so. The council described the pressure on the former Anambra State governor as the work of “mischief makers” intent on derailing Obi’s pursuit of justice through the courts. Reports on Wednesday claimed that Obi was being urged to leave the country, with attacks on his person coming from various quarters. In a Twitter statement that night, Obi denied the authenticity of a leaked audio conversation with Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, calling it doctored and fake.
On Thursday, the council’s chief spokesperson, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, issued a statement confirming that Obi has no intention of leaving Nigeria, regardless of the pressure on him and his family. The statement noted that in recent weeks, Obi has been contacted by associates, elder statesmen, family members, and friends concerned for his personal safety. These concerns have intensified, the council said, as “immense pressure”—apparently from sources allied to the APC and its agents in the security services—has been directed at Obi, urging him to leave the country or face false charges of inciting insurrection.
The council condemned the involvement of state institutions in what it described as a “well‑calculated, deliberate and orchestrated campaign of calumny” by the APC, aimed at discrediting Obi and forcing him to abandon his right to seek redress in court after an election deemed by both local and international observers to lack credibility and fairness. As part of this strategy, a fake, doctored audio clip has been circulated; the council emphasized that Obi never suggested the 2023 election was a religious war.
The council announced that its legal team will pursue action against media outlets that serve as tools for the APC’s “malicious propagandists.” It warned that further defamatory campaigns against Obi are planned both before and during the court process. Nevertheless, the council made it clear that Obi, a well‑traveled individual, will not leave the country despite pressure on him and his family.
The statement called on Nigerians and the international community to caution the APC, its government, and its agents to cease their attacks. Obi’s focus remains on lawfully and peacefully securing the mandate to unite the nation, shift Nigeria from consumption to production, lift millions out of multidimensional poverty—especially in the North—and spark prosperity through agricultural, industrial, and technological revolutions.
Obi continues to urge his supporters to respect the legal process and will not encourage violence against the state. Throughout his campaign, he has advocated for a new Nigeria defined by opportunities for all, an end to poverty, corruption, and tribal or religious bigotry. Accordingly, the council appealed to revered religious leaders, particularly in the North, not to partake in the state’s design that could deepen religious and ethnic divisions.
Regardless of the court’s outcome, the council affirmed its duty to promote peace and coexistence among all Nigerians. It also called on President Buhari to restrain desperate officials at all levels, warning that their actions—or inactions—could precipitate unnecessary crises in the country.
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