The candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has been caught in another lie controversy after a fact-check revealed as false claims by his ‘Obidients’ group that he secured clemency for Nigerians on death row in Singapore.
The claim, circulated on social media by accounts dedicated to the propagation of Obi, said Mr. Peter Obi, even without presidential powers, had intervened to facilitate the release of 500 Nigerians sentenced to death in the Asian country.
It gained immediate virality, similar to other claims amplifying said achievements of the Labour Party candidate, many of which have been exposed as false and exaggerated. An image of the said incarcerated Nigerians was also circulated with the claim that Obi had helped them avert death and restore their freedom.
However, a fact-check by TheCable, a Nigerian media outlet, showed that the picture was taken in Rwanda at the Gitarama Prison 5 where Hutu prisoners were kept. It had nothing to do with Nigerians, Singapore, or any death sentence let alone clemency.
The media outlet also reached out to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) which denied knowledge of any such case or intervention.
Accordingly, it reached the verdict that Peter Obi did not help pardon of 500 death row prisoners in Singapore or anywhere. The discovery thickens the dark cloud of disinformation, harassment, and threats of violence surrounding the Obi campaign. Only yesterday, Wednesday, he attempted damage control with a visit to Femi Kuti, son of legendary afrobeat singer Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The latter came under attack from ‘Obidients’ after refusing to identify with the group.