Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has dismissed recent media claims that suggested he excluded opposition candidates and their supporters from his government.
Governor Nwifuru clarified his stance through a statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Engr Jude Okpor.
In the statement, the Governor said his remarks were taken out of context for some clandestine reasons.
He said: “For the purpose of straightening the records, the Governor on that day, in his usual forthrightness and plainness of heart, simply narrated the tortuous and unpleasant experiences he had in the course of following the avoidable litigations from the tribunal, through the Appeal to the Supreme Court where it was finally nailed in his favour.
“The Governor being a man of integrity whose words are bankable simply expected his opponents to respect their words as well by ceasing further litigations as promised after meetings with them. That not being the case, the Governor at the meeting merely expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that one of them reneged on his words by serving him a suit notice a day after their meeting, an action the Governor considers contradictory to his eternalised values of integrity and reliability. He regretted the unwarranted prolonged litigations brought to the government and people of the state, and wished it never happened so.
“Governor Nwifuru in his statement, did not in anyway condemn his opponents for seeking redress according to their conscience in courts of competent jurisdiction. Recall that the Governor, being a professing and practical democrat, after winning at the polls, immediately reached out to his opponents with the olive branch which was unfortunately rebuffed.
“The Governor, not relenting, for the good and unity of the state, still approached them individually to sheath their swords but they were still recalcitrant. Their going to court, though a huge miscalculation on their part, was considered by the Governor as the best approach which has eventually brought to rest all the divergent interests, paving the way for a possible corporate action by all and sundry towards the development and continued oneness of the state.
“Governor Nwifuru, in his statement during the meeting, merely expressed ordinary human sentiment that going by the level of deceit and seemingly irreconcilable stance of the PDP and the APGA candidates prior to the supreme court ruling, it would ordinarily have become very difficult to freely work with them. However, since the interest of the state is paramount to any individual’s interest, such a feeling could not be allowed to fertilize,” Okpor explained.
The State Information boss further added thus, “secondly, the Governor emphasized that the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, having appealed to all winners to show magnanimity and accommodate all and sundry, it would be tantamount to disobedience and sabotage of the corporate good of the country to think otherwise.
“The Governor, in line with his belief that his erstwhile challengers are bonafide and valuable citizens of the state with great attributes, further beckoned on all Ebonyi people who may have felt slighted by their actions to join him in forgiving and welcoming them to contribute their quota to the development of the state, if they so desire.
“The Governor’s camaraderie spirit and positive disposition in embracing all Ebonyians, including his opponents in the election was summarily emphasized by his last statement at the meeting: “So, sincerely, I tender an apology on their behalf, for us as a state to forgive them. We should forgive them for they knew not what they were doing, and I am sure we are going to forgive them in Jesus’ name.”
“With this, It may not be wrong to conclude that such recklessness in reporting the Governor smacks of a premeditated mischief on the part of the reporter(s). For the reporter (s) to ignore all the reconciliatory expressions of the Governor, including the plea for the forgiveness of his challengers, and dish out to the public their own distorted interpretation of the Governor’s well intended statements, betray either non-professionalism and/or a report based on hearsay, probably, a paid attempt to incite disfavour against the Governor. This is quite unacceptable and would be taken seriously by the Government of Ebonyi State.
“We hereby call on all and sundry whose sensibilities may have been insulted by the uninformed report to discountenance the content as it does not well represent the expressions of the Governor at the meeting.”
