Our attention has been drawn to a calumny campaign being orchestrated to impugn the integrity and malign the character of the Wife of the governor of Anambra State, Chief (Mrs.) Ebelechukwu Obiano, Osodieme Aguleri.

The sponsors of this campaign are driven by the desire to smear this innocent woman whose only sin is standing by her husband, Governor Willie Obiano, in his titanic efforts to build a new Anambra State. Their goal is to ultimately distract them from the good job they are doing and defer once again the dream of a better Anambra State.

For some time now, financiers of the campaign were only able to recruit pliable hacks in some disreputable online platforms that were eager to peddle all manner of falsehood against chosen targets without a modicum of professionalism or regard to decency and good taste. Our investigation has revealed that these enemies of truth and their agents are currently making the rounds in mainstream media and planting sensational stories with the intention of scandalising Chief (Mrs.) Obiano and exposing her to public ridicule. Their plan is to foist an unpleasant profile on her and set the stage for a series of unsavory stories about her.

We therefore wish to alert the general public on the activities of these vendors of lies and deceit who are hell-bent on taking advantage of the negative powers of the social media to assassinate the characters of their enemies and political opponents. The truth is that there is a world of difference between a constructive criticism of a public servant and a poisonous campaign of calumny that drips with scurrilous attacks on his personality.

The Initiative for Change Organization (ICO) has no misgivings about constructive criticisms that will set the tone for good governance in Anambra and the entire South Eastern states of Nigeria. However, we shall expose and resist all attempts by fifth columnists to sow hatred and discord in the civil society and scuttle the giant developmental strides we have seen in Anambra and Enugu states by sponsoring subversive efforts against progressive-minded political office holders in these states.

For a long time, the South East of Nigeria has suffered undue setbacks in its march to accelerated development due to the absence of visionary leaders who have the capacity to see the big picture. The Initiative for Change Organization (ICO) is happy with the current transformational efforts in Anambra State and we shall do everything in our power to ensure that enemies of progress do not put a sudden end to Anambra’s steady march to greatness.

•Igboamaka, President, Initiative for Change Organization (ICO), writes from Camp David Ifite, Awka, Anambra State. He can be reached via madubuife2014@gmail.com. Photo shows Chief (Mrs.) Ebele Obiano recently making a donation to the less privileged.

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