ABUJA, Nigeria — Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for Nigeria’s Labour Party, has reported an alarming incident of identity fraud, alleging his reputation is being undermined by impersonators who mimic his voice.
On Thursday, May 18, 2023, Obi shared via Twitter the unsettling encounter in which an impersonator called Mustapha Audu, son of the late Governor Abubakar Audu of Kogi state, presenting false views attributed to Obi.
“My duplicates are still on the rampage, they now mimic my voice and call people. There is no limit to the extent people will go to cause mischief towards their targets. I have been targeted both locally and internationally,” Obi tweeted.
My duplicates are still on the rampage, they now mimic my voice and call people. There is no limit that people cannot go to cause mischief on their target. I have been a target both locally and internationally. pic.twitter.com/RW0qXdwgh9
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) May 18, 2023
Obi reports being confronted by Mustapha during an Appeal Court session, accusing him of holding tribal views, allegedly based on the interaction with the imposter.
Obi shared the troubling incident from the Appeal Court in Abuja, “The latest incident happened in Abuja on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at the Court of Appeal premises of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal venue, where my attention was drawn to what was going on outside the courtroom.”
According to Obi, Mustapha alleged that Obi had called him while he was in front of his office, speaking in Igbo and abruptly hanging up. Mustapha castigated Obi, asserting that Obi may have only empowered certain businessmen because they were Igbos.
He questioned Obi’s leadership aspirations given his seeming lack of inclusivity towards other ethnic groups.
Obi strenuously denies the allegations, providing a detailed account of his whereabouts and activities during the time of the alleged call, none of which corroborate Mustapha’s claim.
Obi stated, “My brother, I did not call you, and I couldn’t have been in front of your office on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, because I was not in Abuja, and not even in the country. At about the time you alleged that I called you, I was arriving Nice in France for a meeting.”
The emerging crisis raises questions about the scope and motivation behind such damaging impersonations, bringing into sharp focus the tactics being used in the increasingly fierce political landscape of Nigeria.
