On April 7, 2023, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was detained and interrogated for hours by immigration officials at Heathrow Airport in London.
According to Truetells Nigeria, the Head of Obi-Datti Media Office, Diran Onifade, announced this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
In accordance to the Obi-Datti media office, the former Anambra State Governor was wrongfully detained for alleged duplication offences committed by an impostor who is still at large.
Due to the statement, the impostor of Obi may have committed various crimes that resulted in the harassment of the LP flagbearer, who has lived in the UK for over a decade.
“The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, just returned from London, United Kingdom, where he celebrated Easter, has confirmed that he was harassed by London immigration officials and placed in detention but for the spontaneous reaction of Nigerians at Heathrow Airport,” the statement reads in part.
“The Obi-Datti Media office can confirm that the LP Presidential candidate in the February 25 Presidential election arrived at Heathrow Airport in London from Nigeria on Good Friday, April 7, 2023, and joined the line for the necessary Airport protocols when he was approached by an immigration official, who handed him a detention note and told him to step aside. He was interrogated for a considerable amount of time, which was unusual for a man who had lived in that nation for more than ten years.
“Since Obi’s face was already recognised around the world, particularly by Nigerians, Africans at home, and diaspora residents who are likely to be Obidients, the crowd quickly raised their voices in inquiry as to why he was being held up.
“The immigration officers, who were also surprised by the crowd’s response, were compelled to admit that Obi was being questioned for a duplication offence, which meant that someone had been using his name in London.
“The high implication of the offence is that the impersonator may be engaging in a variety of serious crimes and other questionable behaviours, and that these would be documented in Obi’s name.
“Since the impostor is still at large, the scenario is unimaginable as Obi could be implicated in a number of illegal activities and even be framed in a way that could be a huge embarrassment to him, his family, his party, the Obidient Movement, and indeed Nigeria, where he currently and unquestionably remains the conscience of the people,” the statement continued.
The Obi-Datti Media office claimed that since the presidential election on February 25, Obi has been the target of numerous attacks, so it was not unexpected that he was held captive for several hours in the UK.
It gave the Obidients, in particular, the assurance that Obi was back in the country and would not be discouraged from pursuing his “stolen mandate” because he was prepared to endure the pain.
“Obi-Datti Media office recalls that our principal has been under all kinds of attack since the February 25th, 2023 Presidential election, in which he put up an outstanding performance as the standard bearer of the Labour Party, coming third out of 18 contestants as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, even though his supporters and many other election watchers, including international observers, strongly believe that he won the elec,” it continued.
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There have been severe attacks on him from all sides since he was told to go to court if he feels strongly about the election, which all international monitors unanimously agreed was flawed and full of imperfections.
Even the Federal Government, which instructed him to appear in court, sent the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammad, to the US in an effort to discredit him and charged him with treason.
“Obi’s phone line was also bugged while they may have been looking for information to discredit him in front of a section of the country that had overwhelmingly supported him.
They attempted to convince him to leave the country and take a break as if they were not succeeding in damaging his reputation or making the traducers feel more guilty.
It’s also conceivable that those who wanted him to leave the country may have hired the impersonators in order to detract from the Eagle’s impeccable appearance.
The Obi-Datti Media Office would like to reassure everyone of good will, especially the Obidients, that the rock is not discouraged because he is willing to endure the suffering and is even more determined to pursue whatever course his creator intended for him in Nigeria.
