By Yemi Oyeyemi, Abuja.
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has dissociated himself and his supporters from the virulent and unjustified social media attacks on the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
His spokesman, Mr. Diana Onifade, stated that “supporters of Mr Peter Obi, like their Principal, have great respect for Pastor Adeboye, indeed every responsible and respectable Nigerian, and therefore are not involved in any social media hounding of the revered man of God most especially over a statement he did not make.”
He adds: “It has become a pattern for desperate political operatives to orchestrate a ruse and blame it on Peter Obi’s supporters in furtherance of the opposition’s subterfuge strategy which has failed back to back.
“We wish to appeal to fellow Nigerians to ignore the antics of election riggers who believe that demarketing Peter Obi is their sure means of keeping a stolen mandate.
Nigerians are aware by now that issuing personal insults is not Peter Obi’s character and he does not encourage his followers to engage in the same.”
Meanwhile, the Labour Party and its Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi have thrown their full weight behind the request by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar for live broadcast of the proceedings of the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja.
Counsel to the Labour Party and its Presidential candidate, Dr. Livy Uzuokwu (SAN) made this known on Wednesday while speaking with newsmen after the court adjourned pre-hearing session in their petition challenging the election of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.
Uzoukwu said it has become imperative to have the proceedings covered live so that Nigerians will have first-hand information on what goes on at the Court and clear the doubts in the minds of millions of Nigerians.
He said live broadcast of court proceedings was initiated by colonial masters but jettisoned when Nigeria got independence.
He said, with the realities on ground, live broadcast of court proceedings has become imperative and that Obi and the Labour Party are in total support of the request by Atiku and his party.
For instance, he said the court room cannot conveniently accommodate 200 people and the 200 people cannot adequately represent Nigerians, adding that if the proceedings are broadcast live, Nigerians will be better informed.
“During the hearing of the motion on notice by Atiku and the PDP, Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Mr. Obi will be fully in support”, the senior lawyer said.
Also, further pre-hearing session in the petition of LP and Obi has been shifted to May 17 by the Presidential Election Petition Court.
The pre-hearing session was shifted at the request of LP and Its presidential candidate to enable them consolidate on processes so far filed and those yet to be filed.
Following the request of Obi’s lawyer to the effect, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, in a brief ruling granted the application and fixed next week Wednesday as the return date.