The Peoples Gazette on Thursday insisted that the leaked alleged audio conversation between the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and the founder of the Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, is real.
This is coming hours after Obi claimed that the alleged conversation with Oyedepo was fake and doctored.
The former governor in his reaction to the report instructed his lawyers to take action against the news platform.
According to him, he has never described the 2023 election as a religious war.
Peoples Gazette in response to Obi’s plan to file a lawsuit said it stands unflinchingly by its April 1, 2023, publication of a phone conversation between Obi and Oyedepo.
The Gazette’s Deputy Managing Editor, Boladale Adekoya on Thursday said the newspaper stands by its publication.
He said Obi wants to force them into revealing the source of the leaked audio at trial but that they will protect the source to any length.
Adekoya noted that Obi’s leaked audio clip was sourced and properly authenticated in advance of running it.
He said, “The audio and the context surrounding it were properly sourced and authenticated in line with journalism best practices.”
Adekoya, who stressed that The Gazette was prepared to go to any length to protect the source of the clip, said, “Finally, we maintain in no uncertain terms that we will uphold the principle of source protection to any length.”
