BY INNOCENT ONYEUKWU
It has become the norm for some politicians to resort to desperation, in a bid to malign the image of their political opponents. And to advance their mission, they engage the services of “media bandits” who for a pittance are willing to sell their mothers for a pot of porridge, compromise the truth, in order to carry out a hatchet job.
A friend of mine describe some of them as media urchins. Those who do the same on the social media are termed social media layabouts.They are the ones who go to the internet to tarnish anybody’s image.It does not matter to them if the narratives they are handed to spew, are true or false.
In the past two months, several faceless and non existent groups, such as Every Child For Education Advancement Foundation, ECEAF, Owerri Young Patriots, acting on the promptings of their political paymasters, invaded the social and traditional media, to accuse Prince Alex Mbata, the Imo East All Progressives Congress, APC Senatorial candidate, of being indicted by a White paper on Imo State University, IMSU.
The group and their co travelers have labored effortlessly and in vain to sell the IMSU White-paper fairy-tale against Mbata to the general public ahead of the 2023 elections. But because they were handed a bad product to sell in the market, no one is interested in their goods. Their case has become that of an ugly girl stuck in her parents house because there are no suitors.
The anti Alex Mbata faceless groups in collaboration with some “media bandits” come out with bundle of lies. Their argument is watery. They are on a failed mission to turn falsehood to the truth. And no sane person(s) seems to comprehend what they are even rambling about.
Mbata, as Chairman, Governing Council and Pro Chancellor, IMSU, was never indicted by the IMSU Visitation Panel which produced a White Paper. There is nowhere in the said White- Paper report, the word INDICTED was used on Mbata. It is the invention of these non existent groups and their allies, who desperately try to force it down the throat of the public. The White Paper document is in the public domain which can be assessed by anyone. What they termed “indictment” of Mbata, is that he changed one of the consultants handling some of the projects at IMSU, when he was Pro Chancellor.
Mbata could not have single-handedly changed a consultant. Was he, the Sole Administrator of IMSU? Certainly not. A duly constituted Governing Council and other layers of authority, such as the Vice Chancellor exist at IMSU. They possess the authority to decide what happens at the citadel of learning. If any consultant was changed for a particular project, it may have originated from the then Acting Vice Chancellor, Ada Obasi.
Besides, It is important to educate those who are throwing sand at Mbata, that it is, TETFUND, the Federal Government agency, saddled with the task of building and providing infrastructure in Nigerian Universities, were in charge of those projects at IMSU. The role of the Mbata led Governing Council of IMSU, was to supervise the projects, since such projects are domiciled in the institution.
Mbata left a clean slate after he left IMSU. This is the bitter truth. No matter how Mbata’s detractors labour to change the narrative or twist the facts, it will be in vain because facts are sacred. This was why the IMSU Visitation Panel never confronted him with any allegations, petitions or questions, when he was invited in March 2020, to give account of his stewardship when he was Pro Chancellor of the University. This is the truth of the matter. Nothing more, nothing less. Any other tale outside this, is a tale at moonlight, story for the birds.
Those who go to equity must do so with clean hands. Running a man down, simply because he is seeking for public office exposes the depravity of these promoters of hate against Mbata. It is a defeatist tactics. They are scared of Mbata’s towering popularity ahead of the 2023 Imo East Senatorial election.
They contend that Mbata went to Court because he was indicted by the IMSU Visitation Panel. This is another of their fairy-tale. The Panel erred by mentioning his name in the report, because as stated earlier, he was never confronted with any allegations when he was invited by the Panel to give account of his stewardship. It is therefore strange how his name would be mentioned in the report when he was not confronted with any allegations. This is why he is in Court, not because he was indicted. There was no indictment in the first place. All through his tenure as IMSU Pro Chancellor from October 2014- 2019, Mbata acted diligently.
Those on the perilous mission to malign Mbata should have a rethink.They should know that those who fight an innocent man will never escape God’s wrath.
