Ohanaeze reacts to Obi’s detention by London Immigration 

Apex Igbo socio-cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has condemned a reported attempt to arrest the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in London.

It said it a move by political enemies to embarrass and pull down Obi.
Obi was said to have been interrogated at Heathrow Airport, London, on April 7, over his identity.
He disclosed this to longtime ally, Prof. Stella Okunna, who served under him when he was the governor of Anambra State.

Ohanaeze in its reaction said the sole aim of faking Obi’s identity was to use his name to commit crime in London and other parts of the world so as to rope him into a number of offences to get him out of the political space.

Ohanaeze’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr Alex Chidozie Ogbonnia, said, “It is very unfortunate for those who want to rope in Obi and embarrass him. “However, it was good it happened. After this, there will not be such a thing again anywhere in the world as they have been exposed.
“They have exposed their plots to the whole world. But whoever is playing such is wasting time and energy.

READ ALSO:

• UK govt yet to apologise, Obi counters Atiku’s aide
• UK has apologised to Obi over detection, says Atiku’s aide
• BREAKING: CBN to mop up dormant accounts, unclaimed balances in banks
• Nigeria to begin repayment of $800m W’Bank loan in 2027

“It is very clear to the world that the man is a man of integrity and law abiding, who had been pursuing his mandate legally. So, any plot to rope and embarrass him will continue to fail. They are being exposed.
“It is unfortunate that some Nigerians still want us backwards. But we will resist it, Nigerians will resist it; the youths will resist it because they want a future.”

In her account of what Obi told her, as narrated in her Facebook account, Prof. Okunna, titled the piece as: “What Peter Obi is going through: does any human being deserve this type of shocking intimidation and emotional torture?”

She said, “Today 11/04/2023, I was shocked beyond words to hear from His Excellency, Mr. Peter what he went through when his British Airways plane landed at Heathrow Airport, London, in the early morning of Friday 07/04/2023.

“He was talking to me at the official opening of the Specialist Hospital of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Sisters, Nkpor.

“He had arrived at the event after flying in from London, his presence heralded by the usual ‘ear-splitting’ ovation that accompanies him everywhere nowadays.

“As the ‘Most Outstanding Pillar of the Foundation/Hospital’, the Reverend Sisters were full of expectations that he would attend; so were we (members of the Governing Board of the IHM Sisters Healthcare System), although there was also anxiety about whether he would be able to make it, being outside Nigeria.

READ ALSO:

• Update: Seven rescued, one missing in Lagos seven-storey building collapse
• My life in danger under Tinubu presidency, says 77-year-old Ojikutu
• Gangs of Lagos movie, a mockery of our heritage- Lagos govt

“I actually had no idea he had travelled out of the country, until the ovation over his presence in a London Church went viral on the Internet.

“I would never have imagined he would be able to go anywhere so soon after his energy-sapping marathon visits on 06/04 to Paul University, Regina Caeli Hospital and other health facilities, where he went about touching lives in his usual quiet philanthropic manner.

“His whirlwind activities that day in Anambra State and beyond were another eloquent testimony to Peter Obi’s incredible stamina and multi-tasking capacity.

“To be able to fly out of the country that night, made this capacity even more incredible.

“Landing in London, Peter Obi joined the usual queue to pass through Immigration, and that was when his ordeal began.

“He was stopped and questioned for a long time and subsequently handed a detention note and told to wait for further interrogation and investigation. This was terribly unusual for a man who had lived honourably in the UK for a long time.

“In the face of this harassment, some well-meaning Nigerians, knowing who he is, raised their voices in protest, demanding to know why he was being treated that way.

“Then came the shocking revelation by the Immigration Officer who told him that his identity ‘WAS DUPLICATED’. This revelation has definitely set off alarm bells.

“For people who are knowledgeable about such matters, this is a very dangerous development because the implication is that someone is impersonating Peter Obi.

“And that someone could implicate Obi in all manner of dubious and even criminal activities, and rope him into any number of offences; he could get Obi framed for one criminal act or another.”

Ohanaeze reacts to Obi’s detention by London Immigration