The British government has apologized to Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate after he was wrongly handed a detention note by Immigration officers, in search of a man who impersonated him to commit perjury, forgery, and identity theft.
A statement released on Labour party’s website says the UK government also said the uncomplimentary treatment he received was “completely unacceptable,” and issued a personal apology.
“Frankly, the Immigration Official’s action – has been appalling – and we are sorry,” the UK Immigration authorities was quoted as saying
The spokesman for the party’s Campaign Council, Diran Onifade, who made this known via a statement released on Wednesday, April 12, said the former governor of Anambra was detained and questioned for a duplication offense suggesting that someone must have been impersonating him in London.
The immigration officials were said to have accosted Obi when he arrived the Heathrow Airport in London from Nigeria on Good Friday, April 7, 2023. While on the queue for the necessary airport protocols, the officials 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. Since the impersonator is still at large, the scenario is unimaginable as Obi could be implicated in a series of forbidden acts and even be framed in a manner that could be a huge embarrassment to him, his family, his party, the Obidient Movement, and indeed Nigeria, where he currently and indisputably remains the conscience of the people.
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 offense’ meaning that someone has been impersonating him in London.
The high implication of the offense is that the impersonator could be committing all kinds of weighty crimes and other dubious acts and it would be recorded in Obi’s name,” Onifade said.
Recall that last week, the federal government accused Obi and his running mate Datti Baba-Ahmed of treason, for allegedly” inciting people to violence” following the outcome of the February 25 presidential election. Obi, who came third in the election has gone to court to challenge the victory of the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Ahmed Tinubu.