It is unfortunate that in this current campaign season in Edo State, the All Progressive Congress(APC) has descended into the abyss of bedlam, hate speeches, outright lies, alternative truth, indecent languages against the person of Dr Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearer, in the upcoming Edo State gubernatorial election. This is so because the APC is running away from issue-based campaigns as the concept is alien to the party and its candidate. APC and its members are still stuck in old, parochial and mundane ways of politics.
The APC has not taken any specific steps in hiding its disdain for politics that is ideologically based where the electorates want to listen to profound manifestoes, project policies and potential Action Plans. The party do not want any avenue, provided or created, to discuss its plans for the state and its citizens. Its running from pillar to pole where the resort is to avoid issue-based campaigns. The candidate of the party, Senator Monday Okpebholo, a political child of political circumstance, is not capable of holding any arable discussion so him and his party easily drift to rhetorics of personal abuse, slander and disdainful verbal contestation that cannot add to the political radiation the electorates are expecting.
On his part, Asue has always said he would not for any reason leave the path of integrity to pursue the kind of horrible politics and langauge lacking in oxygen that APC has now been known for. He has severally told his teaming followers and effective campaign team that they should askew such languages that are capable of heating up the polity, which can also circle back to endanger the political stability of the state.
Every right thinking politician ought to know what the priorities are in Nigeria today that should ordinarily occupy the front burner in our political engagements. And this is why issue-based campaigns are imperative.
APC must invent another political strategy to fit into our 21st century politics – we are not in the era of savages and barbarians. The party and its candidate must avoid acrimony, personal abuse and transfer of aggression. Distorting the truth about Asue has been counterproductive. The citizens of Edo State look at him through a wider lense of competence and preparedness, as he obviously seem to be the hardest working and most intelligent of the 3 major candidates.
Shaibu Yusuf is an independent political commentator, he wrote this opinion from Auchi.
**Unmasking Shaibu Yusuf’s Shallow Deception**
By Osehobo Ofure
I ran into a very lame article in an online publication called truthlivenews.com by Shaibu Yusuf. Both the publication and Yusuf did a very bad job considering how much they got.
For me it’s glaringly obvious that the author is nothing more than a spineless, faceless, and paid propagandist, tasked with executing a poorly crafted hatchet job. He even claimed to be an independent analyst. Which as it turns out is nothing but a facade, as his biased narrative reeks of a feeble attempt at manipulation of the truth.
Yusuf shamelessly started his essay, for want of a better label very poorly as he attempted to tarnish the reputation of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and it candidate, the very distinguished Senator Monday Okpebholo by hurling baseless accusations of hate speech, lies, and indecent language.
However, it’s abundantly clear that Yusuf is merely a mouthpiece for those who seek to undermine the integrity of the electoral process. INEC has said campaigns are not yet due. So what is this PDP apologist jumping about for? I see his cowardly anonymity as the highlight his lack of credibility.
For instance contrary to Yusuf’s distorted portrayal, the APC Governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and his running mate, Rt Hon Dennis Idahosa, are seasoned politicians with wealth of experience in aspiring to public office, contesting and winning elections. Unlike their opponents, Asue Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie, who are political greenhorns, and so lack any electoral history in Edo state, Okpebholo and Idahosa have actively participated as registered voters in previous elections and have a deep understanding of the issues facing the state. They don’t need to start dancing when the music is off. Ighodalo and Ogie are the ones who can dance without music.
Yusuf’s attempt to paint the APC as running away from issue-based campaigns is not only laughable but also hypocritical. It is the PDP and its allies who have consistently resorted to divisive tactics and personal attacks rather than engaging in substantive discussions about policy and governance. The APC remains committed to addressing the challenges facing Edo State through constructive dialogue and evidence-based proposals. This is why it’s candidate is presently scratching the surface of his legacies on his senatorial district.
Furthermore, Yusuf’s portrayal of Asue Ighodalo as the epitome of competence and preparedness is nothing short of absurd. It is evident that Yusuf is grasping at straws in a desperate attempt to salvage a PDP campaign, that is dead on arrival. The citizens of Edo State see through the thinly veiled attempts by the godfather and his disabled godsons, to manipulate public opinion and recognize that the true architects of the state’s woes are none other than Ighodalo and Ogie, with years of being with their godfather, Major Godwin Obaseki, pulling the strings behind the scenes.
In conclusion, Shaibu Yusuf’s feeble attempt at propaganda falls flat in the face of truth and reason. His deceitful agenda is exposed for what it truly is: a desperate ploy to deceive the people of Edo State and undermine the democratic process. A new Edo is rising! It’s time to reject the false narratives peddled by spineless puppet masters like Yusuf. The people of Edo State deserve better than to be manipulated by faceless propagandists with hidden agendas.
*Osehobo is Assistant State Publicity Secretary, Edo APC*