The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has challenged people spreading fake reports that he gave N2 billion bribe to members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to gain their support.
In an interview with Channels TV on Monday, the former Anambra governor said he does not even have N2bn to give anybody.
He challenged those peddling the allegations to come up with evidence, stressing that he is ready to quit the race if the allegation is proven to be true.
He said, “I don’t even have N2bn let alone giving anybody such money. What am I giving them N2bn for? They are clergymen, they should be praying for the country and they don’t need money to do that.
“I believe that the clergymen also have a problem. Their followers are suffering so they want good governance. Why should I give them money? They should give me money to be able to support me in terms of being able to run around for my campaigns.
“I can comfortably tell you that I have never given one Naira to CAN and if anybody can prove that I gave one Naira to CAN, I will stop running”.
The development followed an alleged petition reportedly written by one Pastor Frank Onwumere and addressed to the CAN President, questioning why the alleged N2bn was shared by some churches, while others were excluded.
Reacting, the CAN National President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh in a swift statement on Sunday said the organization did not receive any money from the presidential candidate, vowing to find the source of the petition and take proper action.
The alleged bribe flooded the social media space on Sunday, with some stakeholders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) mocking Obi.
The spokesperson of the Tinubu Shettima campaign council, Festus Keyamo, and other APC stalwarts tweeted the allegation on Sunday.