By Hamilton Nwosa(Head, The New Diplomat’s Polling, Research & Data desk)
The Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared as “wholly false” reports that its stakeholders’ meeting held on Wednesday was marred by violence. It also warned those it called “mischief makers” to desist from a campaign of calumny against Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who is striving to reconcile and unite party members ahead of the elections in the state.
In a statement by the APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Sylvester Imonina, the party said the report was the handiwork of those out to smear the party and its leaders.
While admitting that there were plans to cause mayhem at the meeting, the statement said however that the plotters had a change of mind.
“Yes, few fringe mischief-makers planned an attack on the stakeholders meeting but chickened out in the end. They may have realised that their plan would have consumed them either instantly or by the operation of law. It was therefore a failed coup.”
According to the statement, those behind the fake news were so desperate that they latched on an “alleged private disagreement that occurred very far from the venue of the meeting to justify their bogus claim. That is sad and utterly disingenuous. It will not fly.”
Insisting that the supposed list of persons who were attacked “is fake”, the statemet said “all attendees, including Evang. Ossai Abbey (Ogboru’s running mate in the 2019 general elections), participated in the meeting from the beginning to the end.”
While expressing worry that Ogboru’s name is being mentioned in the fake news, the party declared, “if it is indeed true that Ogboru has a hand in it, then we worry whether he sought the views of his evangelist friend before associating himself with the shame of a plain lie.”
