The campaign office of Peter Obi/ Yusuf Datti-Ahmed has described a petition making the rounds that Obi gave N2 billion to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other bodies as a lie and a desperate bid to blackmail the Labour Party’s presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, the campaign office has also circulated a denial of one Pastor Frank Onwumere, who was said to have written the petition.
Onwumere in the denial titled, “Re: “Petition on the misappropriation of N2 Billion given by the presidential candidate of Labour party, Mr Peter Obi to Churches under the umbrella of CAN…” wrote:
“My attention has been drawn to a petition with the above subject matter purportedly written by one Pastor Frank Onwumere of Dominion Center International.
“I wish to use this medium to inform the public, my associates, friends and family, that I, Hon. Pastor Frank Alozie Onwumere, did not author the said petition, and did not authorize anybody to do so on my behalf.
“Please be informed that:
1. I am not a member of Dominion Center International and have never had any relationship with the organisation.
2. The author of the petition is not known to me.
“Please be assured that it is not in my character to malign any person or institution, let alone revered religious bodies.”
The Obi-Datti Media Office recalled that based on “credible intelligence”, it had alerted the nation of a grand design to fatally injure the high-rising political profile of the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi with what they called a ‘killer punch’ propaganda material.
It adds, “We hinted that the so-called ‘killer punch’ will come in various forms, including but not limited to a documentary portraying Obi in various negative lights.
“Circulating in social media this weekend is another blackmail stuff against the LP candidate purported to indicate that he gave out the sum of two billion naira to Christians under the umbrella body of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Catholic Bishops Conference and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria to induce them.
The petition is said to have been signed by one Pastor Frank Onwumere of the Dominion Center International based in Okigwe, Imo state. Obi-Datti Media feels the institutions so mentioned in the write-up have enough instruments to tackle such cheap extortion.
“Obi-Datti Media Campaign office knows it as a fact that you cannot be in front of a political competition and not get roughen, especially if you are in the race with morally bankrupt persons.
“That is why we will continue to be amused by the desperation of some opponents to search for faults on the front-running Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, and the apparent frustration of not finding any.
“The LP standard bearer has remained the most searched and fact-checked one among the four top Presidential candidates for obvious reasons. He is the only one running an issue-driven campaign and therefore, provoking intellectual conversations.
“But as Election Day draws nearer and the victory of their ‘unwanted’ Obi looks real, the anger and frustration of some dubious characters have increased.
“We are even beginning to notice some state of despair which is resulting in senseless violence and blackmail all aimed at distracting and removing the candidate’s eyes already glued to the ball.
“Our mission in the Obidient Movement this day is to alert and warn discerning minds, especially those desirous to see a new Nigeria emerge through Peter Obi to ignore and treat as thrash any doctored and faked items on Obi. Anything they are bringing now after their long fruitless search is concocted to tarnish the hard-earned reputation of the candidate and should be disregarded.
“Obi-Datti Media is proud to insist that the LP standard bearer and his running mate remain the best product in the market for the much-needed political leadership in the country at this time. And to state without any fear of contradiction that they stand out untainted and possess the prerequisite qualities needed to rescue this troubled land.
“Indicators from the Obi-Datti strategy room show that many more blackmails have been lined up in the coming days in a desperate move to drag down the man generally accepted as the right man for the job.
“The public should therefore have their eyes permanently glued to the ball and refuse to be distracted by any antics because all the devious acts will give way to reason and justice and Nigeria will be successfully taken back from them and reset for greatness.”