Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church has been in the spotlight since his pre- 2023 presidential election comments surfaced online.
An audio of a phone call between the Bishop and the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi where he made religious comments was released by an online newspaper on Saturday.
‘Daddy, I need you to speak to your people in the South-West and Kwara, the Christians in the South-West and Kwara. This is a religious war. Like I keep saying: if this works, you people will never regret the support’ Obi submitted during the conversation with Bishop Oyedepo.
The LP presidential candidate had also emphasized that the votes being sought were needed because the 2023 presidential election was a religious war.
Bishop David Oyedepo had since denied canvassing for any political party or candidate ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Bishop David Oyedepo and Mr Peter Obi
Team@orientactualmags.com learned the bishop, who said this while delivering a sermon at the headquarters of his church in Ogun state on Sunday, April 2 2023, asserted that he never spoke to anyone on behalf of any candidate or political party. Interestingly, the sermon topic was ‘Faith’.
‘Nobody had ever told me what to say in this world. No. I have never campaigned for anybody or spoken on anybody’s behalf, and I will not do that till I go to heaven.
There is no (political) party in this country that didn’t come to me for prayers and for advice. I advised them, some, they didn’t take. Those who chose to take it, they see results; those who said no, they are going about it (laughs). If you still come again, I will still tell you, it doesn’t change’ he said.
Spokesman for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, a Nollywood actor, had though not expressly denied authenticity of the controversial audio but however claimed that what Peter Obi said was misrepresented.
He also denied allegations that Chief Peter Obi is a religious bigot while explaining the role played by Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi in respect of the interaction between the LP presidential candidate and Oyedepo.
Okonkwo had since made the statement he issued available on social media platforms.
Bishop Oyedepo is an indigene of Omu-Aran, Kwara state.
‘Our attention has been drawn to the publication of this audio tape of private conversation between Peter Obi and Bishop Oyedepo. It is not surprising that these political criminals are trying to spin the conversation as if Obi was making a religious statement.
Firstly, the context of the conversation was aptly put by Bishop Oyedepo when he said ‘All Nigerians have equal stake in this nation, nobody has the right to claim that he is dashing something to someone.
His Excellency , Peter Obi was simply urging the bishop to help him push this message of equal stake of all Nigerians in the Nigerian project to his people and the Christendom because the politicians of the other party were carrying on the campaign as if it was a religious war.
To drive home this point, he informed him that he visited the traditional ruler of Offa, the Olofa of Offa, who is a Muslim but who advised Obi to get the support of Oyedepo and be assured of his own support. No Politician has ever visited the Olofa of Offa.
It is clear to everybody that the APC political party that has a Presidential Candidate, Vice Presidential Candidate, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, National Chairman of the Party all from one religion at a time the CJN is a Muslim is the Party that has declared religious war on Nigerians and we must all rise up together to fight this unconstitutional act of religious intolerance of other religions by APC.
I was on Obi’s campaign trail and I never saw him discriminate against any religion. Of course, he can’t because his Vice is a Muslim unlike APC. I resigned from APC because of their religious intolerance. Nigerians should disregard any insinuation of religious bigots about this tape’ he said.
Minister of State for Labour and Spokesman for the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, has also reacted to the leaked audio.
In a statement on Sunday, Keyamo submitted that clergymen have a fair share of the blame for the religious colourations the 2023 Presidential election was made to earn.
‘Having confirmed the authenticity of what is now known as the Peter Obi ‘Yes-daddy’ audio, I think the real culprit here are the so-called ‘men of God’ who allowed themselves to be used by an unscrupulous politician to seek to inflame religious passions in our dear country in the name of politics.
So, when they were telling their hapless adherents that they heard the voice of the Lord, it was actually Peter Obi’s telephone calls they heard and not God’s voice. This is deceitful, shameful and disgusting. Imagine a so-called ‘man of God’ comparing notes with a politician as to what he said or what he would say on the pulpit in order to get him votes.
I hope this sufficiently embarrasses the ‘men of God’ in Nigeria to forthwith desist from using the pulpit for politics and the Church-goers to stop being teleguided by their self-serving ‘men of God’.
As for Peter Obi ,who declared an election a ‘religious war’ in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country like ours, the real God has just exposed him and his dream to be Nigeria’s President one day has just died a natural death. ‘Yes-daddy’ is now permanently etched in the consciousness of the nation, and we will never forget’ he said- Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you
