Obi admits making phone call to Oyedepo.

Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi yesterday admitted that he phoned the eminent cleric, Bishop David Oyedepo.

But, the former Anambra State governor said he never described the February 25 presidential election as a religious war.

Also, Obi, who spoke on Arise Television Morning Show, relieved his experience at the Heathrow Airport in London, clarifying that he was never detained.

Obi has been at the centre of controversy, following the phone call and alleged detention at the United Kingdom airport.

The LP candidate had described the leaked audio conversation between him and Founder of Winners Chapel as “doctored”, adding that at no time did he “ever say, think, or even imply that 2023 election is, or was a religious war”.

Also, his spokesman, Diran Onifade, had explained that Obi was questioned for “a long time” and it took the intervention of Nigerians for him to be released.

Twenty five days after making the phone call, Obi admitted that he called the cleric to solicit for votes.

He said: “Call it whatever you want to call it. Whatever anyone wants to make of it. I am not a religious bigot. Do you think I can just pick a phone and say ‘religious war’? No, I was even begging the bishop to help me ask his people to vote, which was what I was doing for six months – begging.”

Obi added: “I wasn’t saying ‘catch him’, ‘kill him’, ‘force it’. I was even begging. That shows that I continued to look for votes by begging. There were so many things we tried to do but they were not okay.

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