A recent leaked call between Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi and Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church (Winners’ Chapel) has generated significant interest and speculation.
An anonymous investigative journalist, who goes by the Twitter handle @PIDOMNIGERIA, has now shed light on the circumstances surrounding the leaked conversation.
In this article, we look at the journalist’s claims, what they might mean, and what might have caused the leak.
Journalist’s Claims:
According to @PIDOMNIGERIA, a security agency in Nigeria (whose name is withheld) compromised the telecommunication company that Peter Obi is subscribed to in order to access his call records (CDRs) since he joined the Labour Party (LP) to contest for president. The agency reportedly monitored Obi’s conversations in the hope of discovering evidence of him supporting or calling for an interim national government, which could lead to charges of treason.
But the agency is said to have found nothing suspicious in Obi’s conversations with famous Nigerians, both locally and around the world. Because of this, it is said that someone in the agency leaked an edited version of the phone call between Obi and Oyedepo to push a certain story.
According to the anonymous journalist, the original conversation centered around the issue of a Muslim-Muslim ticket, with Obi stating that religious balancing is a necessary consideration in Nigeria.
He reportedly said that the recklessness of those pushing for a Muslim-Muslim ticket has led some Christians to view the election as a religious war. But the leaked audio was changed to make it sound like Obi himself was calling for a religious war. This made it look like Obi’s campaign was driven by religion.
Implications of the Leak:
The claims made by @PIDOMNIGERIA raise several concerns:
- Privacy and Security: The idea that a security agency listened in on and leaked private conversations is a serious invasion of privacy and shows how people’s communication security could be at risk.
- Information Manipulation: The fact that the conversation was supposedly edited to promote a certain story shows how easily information can be changed to sway public opinion. This shows how important it is to check sources and fact-check claims.
- Effect on Election: The leak could change the way people think about the candidates based on false information, which could change the outcome of the election. This underscores the need for transparency and accurate reporting during election campaigns.
Conclusion:
While the claims made by the anonymous investigative journalist @PIDOMNIGERIA have yet to be independently verified, they raise important questions about the privacy and security of phone conversations in Nigeria, as well as the manipulation of information for political purposes.
When forming opinions and talking about politics, the public needs to be aware of these risks and rely on reliable sources and facts that have been checked.
As the story goes on, it is important to put transparency, accountability, and protecting people’s privacy at the top of the list. Addressing these concerns will help promote a fair and democratic electoral process, while preserving the integrity of the Nigerian political system.