Labour Party (LP) has denied receiving any letter of apology from the British Government over the detention of Peter Obi by Immigration officials at the London Heathrow Airport.
On April 7, Labour Party presidential candidate, Obi was detained on suspicion of impersonation during routine immigration checks as he arrived in London for a brief visit.
UK Immigration officials were said to have detained Obi for hours and interrogated him after his British Airways plane landed at Heathrow Airport on Friday morning over alleged impersonation.
According to news reports, the ex-governor of Anambra was told that another person was using his identity to enter the country. Nonetheless, he was eventually set free.
The sad incident has sparked controversies and confusion in different quarters resulting in some people bringing in political colouration.
The incident was confirmed by the spokesperson of the Obi-Datti Media Campaign team, Diran Onifade, in a statement on April 12.
On Thursday, April 13, there were reports that the British Government has apologised to Obi.
The reports said the British authorities had sent an apology letter to the LP presidential flag-bearer.
However, Obi, in a statement by Onifade, on Thursday, said he did not receive any apology from the UK government.
The statement also expresses the LP’s confidence in the ability of British authorities to resolve the matter.
“We have been receiving enquiries with regards to a so called apology, purportedly issued by the British Government or any of its agencies, to our Principal Mr Peter Obi, in respect of a routine Immigration engagement with him, as he arrived London, for a brief visit, last Friday, the 7th of April,” he said
“We would like to state emphatically that we are not aware of any such apology, and have not issued any statement whatsoever, in that regard. While we continue to examine any dubious or political motive, on the part of the perpetrators of the identity theft, we have every confidence in the ability of the British authorities to resolve the matter, to conclusion,” Onifade said.
While the incident has sparked concern among his supporters and other Nigerians, Onifade said the LP and Obi’s team has since moved on from the incident.
He said they are focused on the legal processes before the Election Petition Tribunal, where they hope to recover the mandate they believe was given to the LP presidential candidate by Nigerians on February 25.
In an earlier statement released on April 12, where he recounted what transpired at the London Heathrow Airport, Onifade had expressed concerns that Obi’s alleged impersonator, who is still at large, may commit some offences that might result in Obi’s arrest in the UK.
Narrating what happened, Onifade said: “The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, just back from London, United Kingdom where he celebrated Easter, has confirmed that he was harassed by London Immigration officials and placed in detention but for the spontaneous reaction of Nigerians at Heathrow Airport.
“Obi-Datti Media Office can confirm that the LP presidential candidate in the February 25 presidential poll arrived at the Heathrow Airport in London from Nigeria on Good Friday, April 7, 2023, and joined the queue for the necessary airport protocols when he was accosted by Immigration official who handed him a detention note and told him to step aside.
“He was questioned for a long time, and it was very strange for a man who lived for over a decade in that country.
“The Immigration officials who were also taken aback at the reaction of the people were forced to reveal that Obi was being questioned for a duplication offence meaning that someone has been impersonating him in London.”
FFK, Buhari’s aide mock Obi over detention
Meanwhile, the Director, New Media sub-committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Femi Fani-Kayode, has mocked the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi over encounter with Immigration officers at the Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom.
Fani-Kayode, in a statement via his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday, said Obi was accosted, detained and deported back to Nigeria like a commoner by the British authorities.
His tweet reads, “Accosted, detained & deported back to Nigeria like a common … by the British authorities?
Poor @PeterObi! Accosted, detained & deported back to Nigeria like a common criminal by the British authorities? Why didn’t you say “yes daddy” to the immigration officer? Or better still why didn’t you call the little Englander or the little diva to put in a word for you.
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) April 12, 2023
“Why didn’t you say “yes daddy” to the immigration officer? Or better still why didn’t you call the little Englander or the little diva to put in a word for you.”
Moreover, President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Assistant on Digital Communication, Bashir Ahmad has mocked the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, over his detention in the United Kingdom.
Ahmad said Obi was treated like a common criminal in the UK, describing Obi’s arrest in the UK as unacceptable.
He charged the UK government to explain to Nigerians the circumstances surrounding Obi’s arrest.
Tweeting, the presidential aide wondered if it was the real Obi or a fake that was arrested and detained.
According to Ahmad, “A whole former presidential candidate treated like a common criminal, unacceptable. Haba.
“The UK should kindly tell us what they know about the numerous Peter Obis roaming around. His detention got me really disturbed.
“Was it the authentic Obi or the criminal Obi that contested and came 3rd in the February presidential election? I hope it wasn’t the criminal one oo!”
During an interview on Thursday’s edition of Voice Of The People FM, TV host and political commentator, Rufai Oseni called the British government’s actions “odd,” but he refused to link them to the present political crisis in Nigeria.
The popular newscaster, therefore, called on the United Kingdom to explain its decision to imprison a man who has lived in the country for decades and is well-known to government authorities there.
