Peter Obi Contradicts Party, Denies Arrest By UK Immigration Officials

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has denied reports that he was arrested by UK immigration officials.

The LP had announced on April 12 that Obi was harassed and detained at Heathrow Airport in London over alleged impersonation.

The party claimed that Obi was questioned for a “long time” and that it took the intervention of Nigerians for him to be released.

However, in a recent interview with Arise TV, Obi stated that he was stopped for a routine immigration check and contradicted his party’s claim that he was questioned for a long time.

“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 and all this lasted for a maximum of 20 minutes,” Obi said.

He added that despite once having a permanent residency in the UK, he chose to return to Nigeria, stating that “I was born a Nigerian. I will want to live and die a Nigerian”.

Obi also spoke about the accusation of treason levelled against him by Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, while addressing foreign media in Washington DC.

Obi described Mohammed’s action as the “height of rascality” and called it a waste of taxpayers’ money.

“I committed a treasonable offence and I am in Onitsha and my minister went to announce in Washington,” he said.

“The amount it cost Nigeria for him to go and announce that in Washington can build a block of six classrooms in a primary school. These are the reasons why we want a new Nigeria where things will work the way it works in other climes.”

Obi further suggested that the minister could have invited him to defend the alleged act of treason, instead of making the announcement in Washington.