The Governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the 2015 election in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, has refuted false allegation by PDP propagandists linking him to a criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari on the social media.
Published in the Global Pilot, one of six guttersnipe tabloid newspapers sponsored by the Akwa Ibom State Government, the false claim alleged that Umana was behind an article published in the social media by Barr Inibehe Effiong, which was critical of the change policy of the present federal government.
For the avoidance of doubt, we want to state categorically that Umana has nothing to do with the said article. The author of the article is not a spokesman for Mr. Umana Okon Umana, and could not have expressed the opinion in the said article on behalf of Umana. It is readily verifiable that Barr Effiong signed off on the article on behalf of a Coalition of Human Rights Lawyers. Umana is not a member of the Coalition of Human Rights Lawyers, and as said earlier, Barr Effiong is not a spokesman for Umana. He cannot therefore be logically connected with the said article written and published by Barr Effiong.
The channels of public communication from Umana and the Akwa Ibom APC are clear and unambiguous. Official communications from Umana are either signed by Umana himself or by his spokesman, Mr. Iboro Otongaran. Communications from the Akwa Ibom chapter of the APC are either signed by State Chairman, Dr Amadu Attai or State Publicity Secretary of the Party, Chief Ita Awak. So there is no reason for confusion as to responsibility for communications from leaders of the APC in the state or from the party itself.
It should be noted that in a press release issued by the APC Publicity Secretary early this month, it was clearly stated that the state government has set up a number of tabloid newspapers dedicated to spreading falsehood and blackmail against leaders of the APC at the state and the national levels. The Global Pilot that published the instant falsehood allegation against Umana was cited as one of those hatchet newspapers.
There is absolutely no iota of truth in the Global Pilot publication. Akwa Ibom people and all Nigerians should discountenance the said publication.
We urge the government of Akwa Ibom state to step away from its preoccupation with the agenda of hate mongering and campaign of calumny against APC leaders, and focus instead on the question of governance for the benefit of Akwa Ibom people.
UMANA REFUTES FALSE ALLEGATION LINKING HIM TO ATTACK ON BUHARI
