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The Labour Party’s (LP) Pres­idential Campaign Council (PCC) has disclosed mounting pressure by security agents linked to the governing All Pro­gressives Congress (APC) on Peter Obi, the LP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, to leave Nigeria on exile.

Tanko Yusuf, Chief Spokes­man of the PCC, on Wednesday, said that those making the call are citing fears for Obi and his family’s safety.

Tanko also highlighted that the former Anambra State gov­ernor has “been repeatedly and categorically told that he has a choice to leave Nigeria or face the prospect of being arrested on false charges of inciting in­surrection in the country.”

He said that recent events confirm this allegation, noting that the plan involved “circulat­ing a fake doctored audio call”.

In a statement made avail­able to Daily Independent, the Labour Party PCC spokesman also called on religious leaders, especially in the north to dis­countenance attempts being made to give Obi’s legal pursuit to recover his allegedly stolen mandate, a religious tone.

Tanko emphasized that “at no time throughout the cam­paign did Mr. Peter Obi ever say, think or even imply that the 2023 election is or was a re­ligious war”.

The statement read, “We continue to thank all Nigerians especially the youths and Obi­dients as they have remained focused on the core mission of a new Nigeria that is possible, even after the presidential elec­tions of 25th February 2023.

“Before, throughout and after the campaigns, it is on re­cord that Mr. Peter Obi main­tained his commitment and fo­cus on issues-based campaigns, about a new Nigeria that is pos­sible, a shift of emphasis from consumption to production, as well as a new Nigeria char­acterised by inclusion, justice, equity, fairness and prosperity.

“He repeatedly stated that no one should vote for him based on tribe or religion, but rather on the assessment of character, competence, capac­ity, credibility and compassion to create a new Nigeria!

“Most unfortunately, in the past few weeks, Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the February 25th, 2023 presidential election has been contacted by associates, elder statesmen, family and friends with concerns for his personal safety.

“These concerns have in­creased intensely in the last few days as immense pressure has been mounted directly on Mr. Obi to leave the country, no doubt, from sources allied to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its agents in the se­curity services.

“Mr. Obi has been repeated­ly and categorically told that he has a choice to leave Nigeria or face the prospect of being ar­rested on false charges of incit­ing insurrection in the country.

“It is difficult to fathom and regrettably unfortunate that state institutions have become part of a well calculated, delib­erate and orchestrated cam­paign of calumny by the APC to discredit and delegitimize Mr. Peter Obi and compel him to abandon his right to seek re­dress in court following the out­come of the last election which was adjudged both locally and internationally to have failed to meet any standard of credibili­ty or fairness.

“As part of the grand design, they are circulating a fake doc­tored audio call. At no time throughout the campaign did Mr. Peter Obi ever say, think or even imply that the 2023 elec­tion is or was a religious war.

“It is very sad and wicked the attempts to manipulate Nigerians. Our legal team has been instructed to take appro­priate legal actions against media outlets that make them­selves willing tools in the hands of APC’s malicious propagan­dists.

“Despite the public denunci­ation of the fake audio call, its contents have been translated into other Nigerian languages and circulated in most parts of Northern Nigeria with some of our Moslem clerics deceived and instigated to use the contents for their sermons at various Mosques during the usual Friday prayers.

“This is a dangerous de­velopment at a time when the APC led-government and the APC party which have been awarded undeserved and un­fair victories should be more concerned in addressing the ethnic and religious frictions unfortunately created by the outcome of the elections.

“Yet unsatisfied but deter­mined to cause more problems, Mr. Lai Mohammed, who fan­cies himself as modern day Goebbels is on a tour of some selected countries to present an alternative story about the 2023 discredited election, and from his first statement in Washing­ton have assumed the role of the courts by stating that Mr. Obi has no pathway to victory. This is a direct intimidation of the courts and a waste of Nige­rian taxpayers’ money.

“There are many more cam­paigns of calumny against Mr. Peter Obi planned for the near future both before and during the court process. However, we want to make it clear to the APC party, APC led-government and its agents that Mr. Peter Obi, a widely traveled man, has no intention to leave the country at this time irrespective of the pressure on him and his family.

“He is determined as he had stated in his first and only press conference after the election to challenge the outcome of the election and the process has be­gun. It is his fundamental right!

“While we call on all con­cerned Nigerians and the international community to caution APC and the APC led-government to stop their nasty attacks, Mr. Peter Obi’s fo­cus and commitment to lawful­ly and peacefully retrieve our mandate to secure and unite our nation, take Nigeria from consumption to production, pull millions of Nigerians out of multidimensional poverty especially in the North and jumpstart prosperity through agricultural, industrial and technological revolution re­mains unchanged.

“He has continued to im­press upon his supporters the essence of the legal process and will not now or in the future en­courage any violence against the state.

“He has absolutely no rea­son for this nor is he desperate especially as throughout the campaign, he called for a new Nigeria defined by opportuni­ties for all, an end to poverty and criminality in govern­ment, especially corruption and an end to tribal and reli­gious division and bigotry.

“It is for these reasons that we appeal to revered religious leaders especially in the North not to be part of the grand de­sign of the state apparatus to further increase the religious and ethnic divides in the coun­try.

“Irrespective of the out­come of the court process, we have the obligation to strive for the peace and co-existence of all Nigerians. We call on President Buhari to rein in his desperate officials at all levels as their actions or inactions could lead to unnecessary cri­