In Imo State, Fake News Reigns Supreme

By Gideon Njoku

The dismissal of news as fake was made popular by the immediate past American President, Donald Trump. He was fond of dismissing Media Houses as fake, and every news from such Media Houses as fake.

The era of the Social Media ushered in an unprecedented reign of fake news. In Nigeria, it’s boom. It’s a big business.

Of particular note, among many are two that left most Nigerians aghast.

The Fake news booming business once snatched President Muhammadu  Buhari from his wife, Aisha, and married him off to his Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouk.

They displayed invitation cards, celebrated both the traditional and white weddings, held reception, and had gifts  – with photographs. All the while, the Minister was out of the country. She was forced to issue a disclaimer, and professed her closeness to Aisha.

Meanwhile, Aisha who had been in London for many weeks, perhaps, coincidentally, flew back to Nigeria the same morning of the “wedding.”

The second was the “funeral” of Prophet T.B. Joshua. Long before Joshua’s funeral was held, the Social Media had buried him – with a lying in state ceremony, casket, mourners, Church services, and interment to boot. Full photographs displayed.

But in no State  does fake news reign as king, an emperor, than in Imo State. Theirs is no fun. It is so bitter, so hateful, so full of incitement, that one begins to wonder if it is just politics.

During the campaigns which led to the APC Governorship primary and the main election, former Governor, and now Senator representing Imo West, Senator Rochas Okorocha, shockingly, told his audience, publicly, that the then aspirant and later, Candidate  Hope Uzodimma, was an HIV carrier. Aside from the fact that it was patently false, Okorocha put it as HIV is a death sentence. It is not. The gullible believed him.

The first time they set an eye on Uzodimma’s wife, First Lady, Chioma, many swore that he married her as soon as the Supreme Court declared him the Governor of Imo State.

At the time this story was circulating, the couple already had four lovely children.

For months, Uzodimma suffered fake news. He was said to have renamed Imo State University to Abba Kyari University in honour of the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari who “imposed as Imo Governor.” He was said to have created five Emirates in Imo and installed Emirs. He was said to have built Islamic schools in the three Zones of the State. He was said to have established RUGA in the 27 LGAs of the State. He was said to have, using the prerogative of mercy, pardoned jailed hardened criminals and fraudsters who, they alleged were his friends. And the list goes on.

On a number of occasions, letters were forged, using forged Imo State Government letter-headed papers, and signed off using the name of the Governor’s Media Adviser/Chief Press Secretary, Oguwike Nwachuku.

And the fake news has not been one-sided.

Recently, a deliberately forged statement was accredited to the immediate past Governor of the State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, to the effect that he hailed the Federal Government for re-arresting IPOB Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Aside from the claim being patently false, the aim was to put Ihedioha on a dangerous collision course with IPOB. His Media Aide had to issue a disclaimer to dismiss it as the fake that it was.

A few days later, it was the turn of Okorocha to feel the heat. A letter, patently fake, was circulated to the effect that he has been expelled from the All Progressives Congress, APC. The fake letter was signed off in the name of the National Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of the party.

It took a strong denial from Okorocha’s Media Aide, Sam Onwuemeodo, and the National leadership of the party to debunk it.

The most recent fake news was just yesterday, Friday, July the 30th. Nationwide, the APC Ward Congresses began today, July 31st 2021, in total denial of the Supreme Court’s stand of Thursday, 29th July, which questioned the legality of the Caretaker Committee, led by Yobe State Governor, Mai Buni. In a split judgment  – 4 to 3 –  on the Ondo State Governorship seat in a suit instituted by the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede,SAN, challenging the legality of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s candidacy, the Caretaker Committee was declared illegal.  The Apex Court stopped short of sacking Akeredolu on that score. He was narrowly spared because four of the Justices wondered why Buni and the APC were not joined  in the suit.

Many, including some APC members, expected the party to halt the Ward Congresses, as they are being organised by the Buni-led Committee.

The Minister for State, Labour, Festus Keyamo, SAN, in a letter to the party, advised strongly against holding the Congresses.

The APC leadership insisted on going on with it.

However, in Imo, it is the fake news of the cancellation of the Congress in the state that reigned.

Quoting a fake Court judgement from an unnamed FCT High Court, by an unnamed Judge, a press release went off that the Court has suspended the Congress in Imo.

“Consequent upon today’s (yesterday) Order of the High Court of the FCT, the Imo State APC Ward Congress is hereby suspended forthwith”, the release read in part.

For good measure, it was signed off in the name of the Director General of the Imo State APC Media Centre,  Cajetan Duke.

But dismissing the release for the fake that it is, the Imo APC, in an authentic release, signed by the same Duke, accused  Senator Okorocha, whose supporters are definitely not part of the Congress, of circulating the fake news.

Emphasising that the Congress holds as scheduled, the party admitted: “We are, however, aware that the former Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha had, through a proxy, Okay Anikwa, approached an FCT High Court seeking injunction to stop the APC from holding its Congress in Imo, albeit unfruitful, as the court presided by Justice Valentine Origi, in his wisdom, declined such obnoxious motion.”

But this is Imo State.  Fake news, no matter how shameless, dangerous, no matter how inciting, is not about to stop.

It has become a veritable weapon in the hands of politicians, their supporters, and their Media Managers.

The beat goes on.

ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC), IMO STATE

PRESS RELEASE

RE: COURT ORDER: APC CONGRESSES IN IMO SUSPENDED

– MEMBERS URGED TO REMAIN CALM, COMPLY WITH DIRECTIVE

The All Progessives Congress, APC, in Imo State by this statement wishes to acknowledge receipt of the order of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which has mandated cancellation of every arrangement for the Congresses slated for, tomorrow, Saturday, July 31, 2021.

However discomforting this development might be, as a law abiding party, the State Caretaker Committee and the leadership of the party, rising from an emergency meeting, this evening, direct thus:

1. Consequent upon today’s Order of the High Court of the FCT, the Imo State APC Ward Congress is hereby suspended forthwith.
2. All officers, stakeholders and members of our party are also directed to comply with this resolution, maintain decorum and await further directive from the party.

It is important to clarify that this temporary setback is a handwork of enemies of our party, using one Okey Anyikwa, who parades himself as Chairman of our great party in Ideato South Local Government Area.

We therefore urge our teeming members to remain  calm, law abiding and not to be irked by this unbecoming provocative activities of disgruntled elements.

CAJETAN DUKE
Director-General,
APC MEDIA CENTRE
July 30, 2021