FROM CHINEDU UGWUNZEH
It is not in doubt that one of the major reasons Enugu State Labour Party Governorship candidate, Barr. Chijioke Edeoga’s governorship ambition failed in 2023 was because it was anchored on social media lies, smearing campaigns, demonizing and slandering of political opponents with unverified claims and fake news.
Edeoga’s campaign was never issue-based or factual. He had no manifesto, having been unable to have a clear direction of where he would lead the state if elected. Instead of concentrating on the planning and execution of his governorship project, Edeoga was busy building a castle in the air by making himself the lead propagandist of his social media hirelings and montebanks.
While the leading governorship candidate in the election and Edeoga’s closest rival, Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party was busy campaigning and soliciting for votes across the length and breath of the state, Edeoga was busy churning out fake social media stories and articles against Mbah and other PDP candidates thinking that such antics will earn them undeserved victory in the governorship election and court.
Having failed in all fronts during and after the governorship election, Edeoga has continued to desperately demonstrate that he has not learnt anything and is not ready to learn something, especially political strategies and leadership ethics in politics and leadership.
This is why instead of commending and supporting Governor Mbah’s ongoing aggressive urban renewal moves that are designed to pave way for the construction of Enugu Modern Transport Terminal that will ease and improve transportation, provide jobs and increase revenues and others, Edeoga took to social media as usual and issued a verbose, fictional, sensational, misleading and circumlocutory press statement condemning the developmental projects.
In the statement, Edeoga falsely claimed that the Enugu State government embarked on the demolitions of some properties in the Holyghost axis without being sensitive, paying them compensations, and providing alternative places for the affected. This is not true as evidence abound that Enugu State Government gave prior notices of its planned demolitions of the affected places since October last year with hoisting of billboards, followed the needed due processes and consultations, including paying compensation to genuine owners of the affected properties and provided alternative places of operations for the transporters and assured them of right of first refusal after the completion of the terminal project.
Meanwhile, news stories and pictures abound of where the affected transporters and others at Holyghost axis, which include the Chief Executive Officer of Chisco Transport Company, Chidi Anyaegbu and others, while receiving their compensations commended Governor Mbah’s effort in building the a new transport terminal in the axis.
Contained in Edeoga’s press statement, which he later amended after being heavily criticised on social media platforms for spreading lies, is another blatant lie that Enugu State Government has completed demolishing some sections of Ogige Nsukka market. This is at a time no demolition has taken place there and government has magnanimously extended the demolition notice given to the affected to enable them relocate to Aku Road, where government has constructed many shops before now, while verification processes are ongoing to ascertain genuine properties owners there to be paid compensations.
On the acclaimed court order obtained by the owner of Osisatech Polytechnic, after compensation has been completed and demolition commenced which Edeoga referenced in his statement, I don’t know when Edeoga became Osisatech Polytechnic lawyer or spokesman.
Besides, court has processes and if the state government is found culpable of flouting court order in the case, it is the responsibility of the court to say so or otherwise and take necessary action on the government, not Edeoga or his Labour Party.
Thank God the owner of Osisatech Polytechnic is from the Nkanu, just like Governor Mbah. If it happens to be from Nsukka, Edeoga would politicise it and tag it witch-hunt of Nsukka man. Just as some people have been wrongly accusing Governor Mbah of sparing Peace Mass Transit and Ifesinachi Motor Transport Company parks in the Holyghost area. If Edeoga is a visionary and reasonable leader, of what importance or value will a Polytechnic or any school be located and operated in a market place.
Unlike Edeoga’s claim in his statement that the administration waited for one year before being jolted into desperate development drive, this is not true as Governor Mbah’s administration has executed and still executing numerous projects such as roads, security, smart schools, water and others across the state since assuming office. In short, since assuming office, there has been no dull moment for Governor Mbah and his team in the area of project execution, investment drive, and others that are repositioning the state nationally and internationally.
Exposing his myopism, emotions and ignorance, Edeoga has nowhere in his statement condemned the chaotic and obstructive activities of some of the affected persons in the demolitions, which include illegal erection of shops, blockage of roads and encroachment on government parks and lands, destroying the masterplan of the places and other nefarious activities.
All Edeoga was out to achieve in his statement is to apportion blames and point accusing fingers at Governor Mbah’s government to sow apple of discord between Governor Mbah and the affected persons, especially Nsukka people, the way he did during the governorship election, which he later lost to Governor Mbah, despite all his sectional and sentimental posturings.
The recent orchestrated and baseless protests in Nsukka against the project by some persons is a clear case of voice of Jacob and hands of Esau. That is the wish of Edeoga and his cohorts who have never seen anything good in Governor Mbah government’s laudable policies and projects since losing governorship election to him.
Whether such needless, belated and induced protest will stop such people oriented project will be seen in the days ahead. This is because by the land use Act, Governor owns all lands in the state. State Government can neither be cowed, dared nor intimidated to submission by anyone, not even sponsored protesters and their sponsors.
It is not surprising that since issuing the worthless press statement, Edeoga has been receiving a deluge of backlash, bashings and criticisms on his social media handles.
Edeoga and his Labour Party social media apologists, urchins and leaders have since losing the 2023 governorship election to Governor Mbah became adept in social media misyarnings, raising of false alarms and engaging in armchair criticisms against Governor Mbah government’s policies, projects and programmes in the name of lameduck opposition politics and without providing credible alternatives or solutions.
