Official say photo of Peter Obi with Simon Ekpa photoshop, fake

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate in the 2023 General Elections, has strongly denied the authenticity of a photo showing him with Finland-based pro-Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa.

Diran Onifade, the Head of the Obi-Datti Media Office, released a statement in Lagos on Thursday clarifying that the photo was fake and manipulated to tarnish Obi’s reputation.

The photo in question showed Obi standing alongside an admirer on a Virgin Atlantic flight on July 21, 2023. However, mischievous minds inserted the image of renowned supporter and activist Aisha Yesufu to lend credibility to the false narrative.

Onifade highlighted that this unethical act exploited the power of digital technology, which can create convincing but entirely fictional scenarios.

Ekpa has been accused of calling for several sit-at-home orders in the Southeast region, resulting in the loss of lives and property. Onifade stressed that Obi had been the first to denounce such actions, attributing them to criminals that the system had failed to confront effectively.

The attempt to link Obi with Ekpa was seen as a desperate move to tarnish Obi’s image and undermine his rising fame as a political leader striving to build a better Nigeria and combat poverty. Onifade called on the nation’s parliament to examine the handling of such fraudulent activities more closely to address the growing menace.

He said: “The scenario is exactly what played out in the photoshopped picture of Peter Obi supposedly standing with the Finland-based irritant Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa.

“This is all in a desperate move to drag Obi’s name into disrepute by linking him with the ugly story that Ekpa has become in Nigeria.

“For clarity, the picture was taken by Obi standing with an admirer on a Virgin Flight on Friday, July 21, 2023.

“In trying to authenticate their filthy and disgustingly dirty act, they inserted the picture of Aisha Yusuf behind them.