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Peter Obi: I was never arrested in London *Narrates encounter with UK immigration

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Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), on Monday spoke on his encounter with the UK immigration operatives on April 7th at the Heathrow Airport in London, debunking the story that he was arrested and detained for hours before being deported, was far from the truth.

It was the first time Obi, who appeared as a guest on Prime Time, a current affairs programme on Arise Television, would personally address the issue since the story, which broke about a fortnight ago went viral.

He told his host that the encounter did not even last more than 20 minutes and that he was even escorted through the Very Important Personality (VIP) lounge by the same immigration personnel, who had earlier revealed to him that the issue was all about someone impersonating him.

Hear him: “I was never arrested, I was never detained and I did not commit any offence. I was stopped for a routine immigration check, because there appeared to be a duplication of my identity. All these lasted for a maximum of 20 minutes. I was treated with all due respect. I lived in the UK from 1993 to 2005. Not only that I lived there, from that period to now is a period of 30 years, I’ve never been questioned, arrested, detained in any country in the world. I’ve never for any reason found myself in any manner being questioned for any offence.

“I never committed any offence and it lasted for less than 20 minutes and I was given all the due respect by the border personnel who told me, your identity is duplicated, be careful and actually had to walk me through to the VIP process and every other thing. I have a written document by the British government clarifying that I was never detained. It was just a few minute routine check.

“It was actually Nigerians who were queuing up because I arrived on British Airways. They were even worried that they asked me a question for just a few minutes. But today it is being dramatised and everything. People are saying I was detained that I committed an offence or that I even committed several offences, his company was closed, he wasn’t paying tax. For the years I lived in Britain, I’ve never been questioned. My taxes were duly paid. In fact most times, they had refunded me money for overpayment. I had borrowed money from their system and I’d done everything globally and not one day had I defaulted in anything. If you find one default, it is not Peter.”

Obi, who said he was not perturbed about the noise being made about the whole incident, said he refrained from making the clarification earlier to respect the period, which was holy for Christians and Muslims, adding that he would not be bothered about the “rascality” of certain people in high places, frantically looking for ways to smear him, as the only weapon to cover their own shortcomings.

His words: “I was never deported. Rather I even attended churches and meetings and everything. They didn’t take me to anywhere. I was there in front of everybody and they were saying there was something wrong with your identity. That’s it. It was just about 15 minutes. It was about identity theft, which I would say originated from here. But that is a matter for another day.”

Obi, also spoke on the issue of dual citizenship, saying he never applied to be a citizen of any country and would never do so, adding that he was not a Nigerian, but a proud one at that who would never desire to have any other country’s passport.

“I lived in the UK for a period of 12 years. I had a permanent stay that could allow me to live there for the rest of my life. But when I left the UK I went back to return the stay. I now go to the UK with a visa. Even that stay, I returned it. I’ve never applied and I’ll never, for as long as I live. I was born a Nigerian. God created me a Nigerian. He would have made me an American or a Japanese or a British. But I’m a Nigerian and I’ll like to live and die a Nigerian.”

Obi, who also denied owning property in Solomon’s Island as alleged by leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF), Asari Dokubo, who had earlier claimed that the only condition to own such a property was to take up the citizenship of the country, said he did not even know where the country was located on the map, adding that the only Caribbean country he had visited, was in Haiti, where he went on humanitarian service when it was hit by earthquake.

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Obi to Nigerians: Don’t be despaired, your mandate won’t be lost

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The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi says he is aware of some evil designs against himself and his supporters in the coming months.

The former Anambra State governor disclosed this in a statement released on his verified Twitter handle on Monday, May 29, 2023.

The release of the statement coincided with the inauguration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Nigeria’s President at the Eagle Square in Abuja.

 

I am aware of some evil designs being hatched against me and my supporters in the coming months. Efforts will be made to taint my image. Campaigns of calumny are being perfected to defame my character and diminish my hard-earned integrity.

— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) May 28, 2023

See full statement:

For all Nigerians, this is a time for deep reflection. It is also a time to re-examine our assumptions, even as we reaffirm our hopes. Let us calmly review our aspirations, in order to recalibrate our expectations and pin down the causes of our missed opportunities and disappointments.

We stand at that critical moment in time when, as a people, we must collectively come to grips with the reality of our injured destiny as well as the reasons for that injury. It is for us to reassess our plight as a young democracy and identify clear pathways to a better and greater future for us all. As we await the verdict of the election tribunal, I urge all Nigerians to use this opportunity to renew their commitment to the Nigerian ideal. That ideal remains noble and worth every sacrifice we can make.

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Nigeria remains our only patrimony and it is a patrimony we must protect, rather than violate. We have no other nation but this, so let us remain committed to rescuing and rebuilding it.

The judiciary is part of the democratic enterprise and a critical governance tool for determining the propriety of the decisions and actions of every citizen and every institution of state. To that extent, and for that reason, I urge everyone to treat it with the respect and dignity it deserves.

We expect that the Nigerian judiciary will use the election cases now before it to reaffirm its independence and integrity. It has to do so, for all our sakes and for itself.

Nigerians must, therefore, remain peaceful and law abiding. No matter the depth of anyone’s reservations about what is going on in the polity today, no matter the real and imagined provocations, and no matter the disagreement out there, we should remember that this will not last forever.

I remain committed, and untiring, in my determination to work with like-minded fellow Nigerians to end the curse of missed opportunities and squandered hope that has become our lot here.

I will never shrink from that original commitment, because I firmly believe that we must change from the present politics of criminality, and corruption, in order to make a new Nigeria possible.

I call on fellow Nigerians, especially the youths to remain steadfast, calm, patient, and peaceful. Our journey may be long and difficult but it is worth it in every way. Victory is assured.

We have to work together to move our beautiful country from corruption and criminality to a center of productivity rather than aimless consumption.

I am aware of some evil designs being hatched against me and my supporters in the coming months. Efforts will be made to taint my image. Campaigns of calumny are being perfected to defame my character and diminish my hard-earned integrity.

These schemes will aim at degrading our support base and confusing the public. But, no evil campaign will alter the substance of my character; nor diminish my patriotic commitment to a better Nigeria. It is about the future of our youths. it is about ending the Years of Locust.

In all of this, I thank Nigerians, our great party (LP) and the media. The latter, as the Fourth Estate of the realm, has remained a trusted ally.

This Estate must continue to guide our people on the immense promise of a future in a new Nigeria.

God bless Nigeria and protect the troops keeping us safe in this season of vaulting insecurity.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. –PO

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Tinubu will unveil Ministers in two months *He’ll be different – Faleke

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James Faleke, lawmaker and Secretary of the now defunct All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), has revealed that President Bola Tinubu would unveil members of his cabinet within 60 days.

Channels Television, which quoted him as saying on Monday, at the inauguration of of Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as president and vice-president of Nigeria was underway at the Eagle Square in Abuja, said the President, would , unveil his cabinet as soon as possible.

Faleke, who promised that the new President would bring a different approach to power, was quoted as saying: “Of course, within 60 days, that’s what the law says. He can announce anytime but I just know he must do it within 60 days.”

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Tinubu: My stand on corruption, insecurity *How I’ll banish poverty in Nigeria

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Eradication of terrorism, waging war against corruption and battling the crippling poverty in Nigeria, would form the fulcrum of a new Nigeria President Bola Tinubu, says he would strive to put in place as his new government began hours ago after assuming the reins of power as the 16th President, after Muhammadu Buhari handed over to him at an elaborate ceremony at the Eagle Square, Abuja, on Monday.

Vowing to  defend Nigeria from all forms of terror, as well as end extreme poverty in the country, Tinubu, told Nigerians: “I will do that through job creation and food security and end to extreme poverty. I will ensure that corruption is tacked by strenghtening anti-corruption agencies.”

He also promised that his administration would discourage corruption through the introduction of a credit culture, stating: “Our government will continue to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture to discourage corruption while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the various anti-corruption agencies.”

It was also on a day the President, who had during his presidential campaigns, promised Nigerians that he would remove subsidy on petroleum products, made good his words by announcing suspension on them, adding that the era of payments on fuel was gone, as the 2023 Budget made no provision for fuel subsidy “and more so, subsidy payment is no longer justifiable.”

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