Contrary to reports, I Was Never Arrested in London – Peter Obi
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has said recent speculations and reports claiming that he was arrested in United Kingdom are untrue.
He disclosed that he was neither arrested nor committed any offence in the country, stating that he was only stopped for a routine immigration check, “because there appeared to be a duplication of my identity.”
Obi mad the disclosure during an interview on Arise Television on Monday.
Obi said contrary to news reports, the interview with the immigration official lasted for about 20 minutes, adding that he was, “treated with all due respect” during the whole encounter.
He maintained that he never committed any offence in the UK from 1993 to 2005, when he lived in the country or found wanting in any part of the world.
He said, “I was never arrested; I was never detained and I didn’t commit any offence. I was stopped for a routine immigration check because there appeared to be a duplication of my identity.
“And all this lasted for a maximum of 20 minutes. And I was treated with all due respects. I have lived in the UK from 1993 to 2005. Not just that I live there; from that 1993 till now; it is a period of 30 years.
“I have never been questioned, arrested, detained in any country in the world. I have never for any reason found myself in any manner being questioned over any offence.”
The former Governor of Anambra State insisted, “I have not committed any offence and it was a routine immigration check and it lasted less than 20 minutes,
“I was actually given all the due respect by the boarder personality that interviewed me and who told me ‘Your identity is duplicated – be careful’, and actually had to walk me through what I can call the VIP process. And I have a written document from the British Government clarifying the situation.”
Obi added that he did not have any form of dual citizenship, noting that he had forfeited his permanent stay in the UK. However, he said he has a Dallas honourary citizenship.
“My honourary citizenship in Dallas, Texas means nothing. It doesn’t even grant me Visa-free entry to the United States. I have never applied and I will never apply for citizenship of any other country, I am a Nigerian who believes in Nigeria,” he said.
Obi stressed that it was an act of “rascality” for the Minister of Information and Culture to accuse him of treason because of the comments made by his running mate in the election, Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmed.
“Lai Mohammed calling me out for treason is the height of rascality. I was in Onitsha and he went to Washington D.C to make that declaration. This is a waste of government resources, that money should have been channeled to build more classrooms.
“I’m sure if you go to his village, there are so many children that don’t even have desks to go to school. And instead of using that money to do it he used that money to go to Washington to announce treason of someone who is in Onitsha.”
Obi further dismissed a leaked audio conversation featuring him and David Oyedepo, General Overseer of the Winners Church. Obi has been accused of religious bigotry due to the details of the conversation, where he allegedly described the election as ‘religious warfare’.
Speaking on the leadership tussle in the party, Obi insisted that Julius Abure is the chairman of the Labour Party.
According to the former governor of Anambra State, since the factional chairman, Lamidi Apapa came into the limelight, he has never had any kind of interaction with him.
He said, “There is nothing wrong with the Labour Party.”
“It is the same rascality that is going on all over the place; the chairman of the Labour Party is Barrister Julius Abure.
“Yes, because people are paid; people are hirelings; they have been paid to distort things and everything. For example, I have never met Mr. Apapa, and supposedly you can say that I am a meaningful figure of Labour Party and the presidential candidate.
“So I have not met the other party chairman, and he is not looking for me. There was a purpose. It is because of the transactional politics we practise, where rather than spending our energy and time trying to do the right thing, we spend our energy and time trying to do the wrong thing. Paying people to do the wrong thing because we live off this confusion.
“But that notwithstanding, we are even trying to bring everybody, even those who say they have paid you; maybe you have done the job they want you to do; come let all of us be a family.
“Yes, because those who live off the confusion who were already in the other party would not go away, trying to create confusion everywhere. They are not going to keep quiet.
“Don’t think these people are going to go away; no, they are not going to do that. But if we keep doing the right thing, eventually we are going to win.”
