ABUJA, Nigeria – Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has vehemently denied reports of his arrest by UK Immigration officials, asserting that he merely underwent a routine immigration check during his recent visit to the United Kingdom.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, May 1, 2023, the former two-term Anambra governor insisted that he was given VIP treatment and was not detained.
Obi explained, “I was stopped for a routine immigration check in the UK because it appears that someone duplicated my identity. I was never arrested. I was treated with due respect and walked through the VIP process. Everything lasted less than 20 minutes.”
He also revealed that he has a letter of apology from the United Kingdom’s High Commission in Nigeria over the incident. The Arise News host, Charles Aniagolu, confirmed citing the letter.
The clarification follows allegations of Obi’s hours-long detention at Heathrow Airport, London by UK immigration officials.
The Labour Party had previously issued a statement, noting that Obi was questioned at the airport over a duplication offence, suggesting that someone had been impersonating him in London.
According to the party, the spontaneous reaction of Nigerians at Heathrow Airport eventually helped resolve the situation.
Despite the controversy, Obi maintains that he has always lived a law-abiding life and has never broken the law.
He is undeterred by the negative attention and remains focused on his political aspirations, stating, “There may be more mud-slinging from those who are against the emergence of the New Nigeria, but the obstacles along the way to victory would never deter me.”
