Obi-Oyedepo Audio Saga: NCC Keeps Mum Over Accusation

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is yet to make any comments on the allegations levelled against it by Valentine Obienyem, the spokesman of the presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, following the leaked audio conversation between Obi and the Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church, David Oyedepo.

In the conversation that went viral at the weekend, Obi allegedly described the 2023 election as a “religious war” and asked the clergyman to help him mobilise Christian votes in some parts of the country.

Although Obi did not expressly incite people to religious violence, the elements of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) insisted his statements were unsuitable of a leader aspiring to lead a multi-party and multi-media society like Nigeria.

Obi’s media aide, Mr. Val Obienyem, had dismissed the leaked audio as fake and a clandestine plot to get him blackmailed, so that he would be charged to court for treasonable offences.

Obienyem, revealed that a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who is an indigene of Anambra State but based in Lagos, is heading a team set up to find a way of getting Obi indicted with treasonable charges.

He stated that the team, which also has some personnel of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), is currently reviewing all calls made by the LP presidential candidate in the last three years, and especially recently to see if he (Obi) mentioned “interim government or anything that will make them prosecute him for treason when and if they (Ahmed Bola Tinubu and his APC) take over (government)”.

In a statement titled, “Obi versus Oyedepo: Too bad,” Obienyem said, “I heard they set up a committee made up of some people from the Nigerian Communications Commission, headed by our prodigal brother from Nnewi.”

“They (Tinubu and his supporters in APC) are reviewing all calls Obi made in the last three years, and especially now, to see if he mentioned the interim government or anything that will make them prosecute him for treason when, and if,  they take over. Till now, they are yet to see any.

“The badly doctored conservation with Bishop Oyedepo released by our Nnewi prodigal brother is the most they have discovered so far. They edited out the Muslim-Muslim ticket that led to the discussion, where Obi said that in a society like ours, religious balancing was a necessary consideration and that their recklessness had made Christians to assume it was a religious war.”

However, our Correspondent called the director of public affairs of NCC, Mr. Reuben Muoka, for his reaction but he did not respond. He also did not respond to a text message and WhatsApp message sent to him as of the time of going to press yesterday.