The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, has claimed that he was never arrested by the UK Immigration officials, contrary to viral reports that he was detained at the airport in the United Kingdom.
Obi stated this while speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Monday.
According to the Labour Party presidential candidate, he was merely stopped for a routine immigration check.
Obi said he was only checked because it appeared his identity was duplicated by someone.
The former governor of Anambra state said he was given VIP treatment.
Obi insisted that he was never arrested, stressing that the routine immigration check lasted less than 20 minutes.
He said, “I was stopped for a routine immigration check in the UK because it appears that my identity was duplicated by someone. I was never arrested. I was treated with due respect and walked through the VIP process. Everything lasted less than 20 minutes.”
Recall that the former Anambra state governor was allegedly detained for hours at Heathrow Airport, London by UK immigration officials.
Meanwhile, Obi had earlier said he has never delibrately violated any law in relation to his alleged detention by the UK Immigration Service.
He said he has lived all his life in the most law-abiding manner, and he will “never knowingly break any law.”
The Labour Party, had in a statement said, Obi was detained and questioned for a duplication offense, which suggested that someone has been impersonating him in London.
According to the party, Obi was questioned for a long time but was eventually saved by the spontaneous reaction of Nigerians at Heathrow Airport.
Both the UK immigration and Obi have kept mum on the matter since it was reported.
But, Obi said, even though humans are bound to make mistakes, he will never knowingly break any law, adding that he is not “afraid of the lies and propaganda against my person.”
“There may be more mud slinging from those who are against the emergence of the New Nigeria but, I would never be deterred by the obstacles along the way to victory. I have always lived my life in the most law abiding manner.
“Sometimes as humans, we make mistakes but, I will never knowingly break any law. I am therefore not afraid of the lies and propaganda against my person. They are part of the journey to a New Nigeria,” he added.
