… EMELUMBA BRIBES IMO-BASED BROADCASTERS WITH N20K PER MONTH
…UZODIMMA SUSTAINS COLD WAR AGAINST OPPOSITION PRESS AND MEDIA
By Ogu Bundu Nwadike, M.A
We thought every civilized modern person in leadership position or office by now in this Q1 of the 21st Century knows that the press and media, as the fourth estate of the realm, is quintessential to every development agenda of the society and the world.
However, sadly, from time to time many people in leadership positions and offices tend to feign ignorance of that proviso or chose to cause friction with bravado and braggadocio and cog the wheel of development of the society.
Take what has been happening in Imo State, Southeast Nigeria, for an example. In the heat of the ongoing terrorist activities in the State, the operator and operatives of the APC regime in the State deem it fit to arm-twist the press and media in the State by threatening, intimidating, harassing, and compromising the press for reporting the truth of the matter.
Unfortunately, the focus of the ill-advised attacks on the press and media is majorly targeted at the media operatives of the organized opposition in Imo State and any other person that dares to express dissenting opinion on the bad leadership and bad governance of the clueless, inept, and incompetent Uzodimma regime.
The latest in the lineup is the serial reports by Commander Frank Nwaete, an Imo-based international journalist, who has been serializing the uncanny efforts being made the fraudulent Uzodimma regime, with chicken feed bribes of N20,000 (twenty thousand naira per month) compel and coerce broadcasters in Imo-based radio and television stations to stop reporting the truth about the failure of the failed Uzodimma regime.
Nobody has denied, debunked or refuted those exposé by Commander Frank Nwaete. And as they say, under such circumstance, silence is consent.
Then, this very sad one. Recently, Barr. Ekene Bob-Ekechukwu Esq., a lawyer and public affairs analyst that’s based in Owerri and provides rich pro bono constructive criticisms to the wobbling and fumbling Uzodimma regime, reported that his life was overtly threatened by one Comrade Franklyne Maduabuchi Edede, an APC chieftain and Uzodimma loyalist and apologist, which actionable criminal offence was committed online via the telephone number 08097044820.
According to Barr. Ekene Bob-Ekechukwu Esq., Edede actually typed and posted to him that he will kill the public analyst. Can you imagine such odiferous audacity?
According to the report, Edede was actually expressing intolerance to an article entitled: “Insecurity: Why Peace Has Left Imo State”, which was published on social media and was well received by members of the public.
In a follow up report published by Ekene Bob-Ekechukwu Esq., he stated as follows:
“A desperate plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) in Imo State to eliminate members of the opposition may have been uncovered. The direct threat WhatsApp message I received yesterday, Sunday 25th of April, 2021, from one Comrade Franklyne Maduabuchi Edede using the phone number 08097044820, was a pointer.
“In that message which has been forwarded to the appropriate authorities, Comrade Edede threatened to kill me simply because of my article titled: “Insecurity: Why Peace Has Left Imo State”, which has gone viral on social media.
“In that article, I x-rayed the escalating rate of insecurity in the State, blaming it on the social injustice prevalent in the State, particularly the controversial installation of Gov Hope Uzodinma as governor of Imo State. What I expressed in the said article was my critical analysis of the situation on ground.
“I was reliably informed that Comrade Edede, who hails from Ezinihitte Mbaise in Imo State, is an APC member and a notorious political thug used to do dirty jobs by the ruling party. He even confirmed this in his threat message to me when he stated that he has killed so many people who opposed him and his party.
“While the ruling party blames the escalating insecurity in the State on phantom “aggrieved” opposition politicians, they should also look inwards to see how much they have contributed to the problem. If the ruling party is harbouring killers and assassins then why are we looking for the cause of insecurity in the State?
“The Bible says one should endeavour to remove the plank from his eyes before he can remove the mole from the eyes of another. Based on the foregoing, the ruling party lacks moral rectitude to fight insecurity if they are harbouring thugs and bloodthirsty fellows.
“Opposition is the beauty of democracy because everyone must not belong to the ruling party. It is undemocratic for the ruling party to attempt to muzzle or eliminate the opposition for whatsoever reason. Nevertheless, no single person or group of persons has the monopoly of violence. The security challenges bedevilling the State may be compounded if the ruling party resort to targeting members of the opposition for elimination.
“Therefore, pending my formal petition, I wish to call upon the security agencies, particularly, the police and Department of State Services to invite Comrade Edede to explain why he threathened to kill me for exercising my constitutional right to express my opinion. I also call upon the ruling party to let the opposition be and channel their energy on efforts to salvage the State which is fast collapsing under their watch.”
It may be recalled that shortly after he was sworn into office, Uzodimma, through his Commissioner for Misinformation and Tactlessness, Declan Mbadiwe Emelumba, waged a guerilla media warfare against the opposition in Imo State.
Uzodimma’s greatest media weapon of mass destruction was a combination of lies, falsehood, propaganda and blackmail against Imo people and the organized opposition.
Name calling, direct threats to life via social media, and through direct voice calls and recordings, abuses, insults, propaganda, blackmail, arrest and detention in DSS cell, prosection at the Courts, and detention in Prison. Those were visited upon the organized opposition by Uzodimma.
The highpoint and hallmark of the heavy clampdown on the opposition media was the arrest, detention, and prosection on Uzodimma’s directives and instructions of one Ambrose Nwaogwugwu, who at the time was the Director-General of Imo PDP New Media.
His sin was essentially his exercise of his fundamental right of freedom of speech. He nearly died in Uzodimma’s detention facilities at the DSS and Nigerian Prisons, but Imo PDP did the needful and ensured his release by orders of the Court.
Also, radio stations in the State that dared to report the evidences of the non-performance of the fraud and forgery Uzodimma regime were directly reprimanded and threatened with sealing of their stations. Some haven’t reported anything about the Made-in-Supreme Court regime since thereafter.
All of the foregoing, testify to Uzodimma’s cold war against the press and media in Imo State, which he and his inexperienced amateur media urchins have been waging against the opposition.
We would further help this anti-people Uzodimma regime by reminding them that historically nobody in any clime has succeeded in gagging and muzzling the press and media professionals. Imo State under his illegitimate watch won’t be an exception.
We’ve noted lately that Uzodimma has read the riot act to his media hatchet men to henceforth desist from speaking to the press and media without clearances from him.
The veracity of that report hasn’t been ascertained. But, if it’s true, then it partly responds to the unnecessary diversionary attacks by the Uzodimma media vuvuzela on the very professional organized opposition media.
What we expect from Uzodimma now is an order from him to all his political appointees, including his loyalists and apologists in Camphope political pressure group, where Comrade Franklyne Maduabuchi Edede belongs, to stop forthwith all forms of attacks on persons that express contrary or dissenting opinions on issues and matters arising from the State.
So doing would always present to members of the public the whole sides to a development in the State. And that would enable the people form informed opinions and conclusions on the nefarious activities of the regime. That’s the right way to go right now!
By God’s grace, Imo State must be rebuilt!!
