Oyedepo/Obi Saga: Notable Politicians Involved In Leaked Conversation
A few weeks after the February 25 presidential election, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, was enmeshed in a controversy as a phone conversation between him and Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church, aka Winners Chapel, leaked on social media.
The leaked audio generated heated conversations with many Nigerians condemning Obi for weeping up sentiment in a multi-religious country like Nigeria.
In a viral leaked audio published by an online medium, People’s Gazette, on Saturday, Obi was heard begging Oyedepo for support. He was heard telling the Bishop to help him get votes from Christians in the South-West.
“Thank you Daddy, I need you to speak to your people in South West and Kwara, the Christians in South West and Kwara, this is a religious war,” Obi said in the leaked audio.
In a statement in the wee hours of Sunday, Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign, confirmed the authenticity of the audio but claimed it was taken out of context by critics.
But Obi’s is just one among a couple of leaked audios involving notable politicians in Nigeria. Daily Trust takes a look at other leaked audios, especially those that are election-related.
OBANIKORO/FAYOSE’S CONVERSATION
An audio recording revealing how some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains allegedly connived with security agencies to rig the Ekiti State eelection was released by an army officer in 2014.
At the meeting, as evidenced by the recording, the then prominent chieftains of the PDP were heard discussing strategies for rigging the 2014 Ekiti governorship election, a poll in which the party eventually won by a landslide.
But some of the actors, including Musiliu Obanikoro, a former Defence Minister, and Ayo Fayose, who defeated the incumbent governor, denied being a party to the plot to rig the election and questioned the authenticity of the recording.
Obanikoro had also threatened a court action against news organisations who had published the conversations in the audio tape.
Despite their denials, the then Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan, who also attended the meeting, confirmed that the tape was authentic.
He, however, disagreed with the context of the discussion, saying the meeting was never about plans to rig the Ekiti State election.
MELAYE’S DISCUSSION WITH JUDGE
Dino Melaye, former Senator representing Kogi West was also thrown into controversy when an online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, leaked his phone conversation with Justice Akon Ikpeme, the tribunal judge who handled his election case in 2015.
The media outfit later claimed that the judge in a bid to get a soft landing confessed to receiving bribe twice from Melaye because he handled the lawmaker’s cases twice.
ATIKU’S AUDIO ON CONTRACTS
Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was also caught on tape in January 2023 admitting his involvement in a complex conspiracy that for years took advantage of federal contracting expenditures.
In a viral audio shared by Atiku’s former aide, Michael Achimugu, the former vice-president was heard narrating how he took charge of setting up onshore shell businesses to serve as a conduit for syphoning significant sums from public work contracts for himself and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Atiku also revealed how the government designated some funds stolen during the process to political allies to fund their party’s activities without traces.
“What happened was when we came into office and I advised the president against open corruption.
“I told him to give me three people you trust and I will prepare three companies in which they will be subscribers or rather the directors.
“So that if there is any contract that we give they will act like consultants and they are given a fee. That fee is what we use to fund the party,” he said in the audio.
Althought Atiku’s campaign team said the audio was doctored, the former aide who leaked it stood his ground.
FAYOSE/WIKE’S CHATS OVER RIVERS POLL
Sahara Reporters also leaked an audio of a telephone conversation between Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his counterpart in Ekiti State, Governor Ayodele Fayose, in which both men discussed Wike’s role during the December 10, 2016 rerun of legislative elections in Rivers State.
In the leaked telephone conversation, the two governors can be heard having an excited conversation about how Wike stormed a collation center during the election.
The tone of the exchanges made it clear that Wike’s aim was to manipulate the results of the elections in favour of his candidates.
In a tone that showed how he outmanouvred the Nigerian Army, Wike declared in the conversation that, “Nigeria Army does not exist again.”
