TheHILL | POLITICS | JULY 30, 2021.
One of the most celebrated Senators in Akwa Ibom who representing Uyo Senatorial District and Governorship hopeful in the forthcoming gubernatorial election; Senator Effiong Bob, has alerted the State of orchestrated smear campaign against him, using some newspapers and blogs.
Mr. Anietie Akpan, Senator Bob’s spokesperson, who raised the alert in a statement in Uyo on Friday, said, they have discovered that some governorship aspirants in the State, for want of better ideas have resorted to mudslinging, character assassination of perceived opponents through surreptitious sponsorship of derogatory remarks in the print, electronic and social media.
The statement reads: “It has been noticed that with the build up to the 2023 elections, there has been a resurgence of smear campaign against perceived frontliners in the race for the governorship of Akwa Ibom State.
“Elections to positions in government are principally for the purpose of advancing the development of the state and its people; and so aspirants and their supporters should pay attention to issues that will propel this development.
“Unfortunately, it has been uncovered that some aspirants, for want of better ideas to advance the development of the state and sustain the tempo reached so far, engage in mudslinging, character assassination of perceived opponents through surreptitious sponsorship of derogatory remarks in the print, electronic and social media.
“Recently, a certain newspaper used a harmless story on Senator Effiong Bob but adopted a damning headline. This is cheap blackmail and should not be allowed to fester.
“The sponsors of this blackmail are not issues minded otherwise they would have talked about the thirty year development plan suggested by Senator Effiong Bob, the sustainability of the present industrialization status of the state and the preservation/ building of peace in the state. These are all issues that have been raised by Senator Effiong Bob on moving the state forward; and elections are about issues and not pulling somebody down, not about false accusations and not about backstabbing and mudslinging.
“By the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (1999) as amended, every qualified person has a right to seek to be nominated by his or her political party to stand for an election. As Senator Effiong Bob has that right, every other qualified person also has. However, power belongs to God and He gives it to whom He pleases.
“The task ahead is enormous and that cannot be accomplished by fickle minded people whose stock in trade is to malign others.
“It is time to veer away from politics of human destruction but to go for developmental politics.”
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