By Chijindu EmeruwaÂ
Youths For Progressive Alliance (YFPA), a socio-political umbrella, has warned the fifth columnists against dragging the Nigerian Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uche Sampson Ogah to politicking in the build up to 2023 election into the governorship seat of Abia state.
This was coming on the heels of a viral news reports in different online social media platforms, falsely alleging and insinuating that the Abia state leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) had settled for Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uche Ogah to fly the party’s ticket for the 2023 gubernatorial poll to slug out with Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who according to the viral report had equally been settled to pick the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement by the its National President, Comrade Emmaunel Nwabuko and made available to The Union Nigeria in Umuahia, on Tuesday, vowed that Dr. Uche Ogah cannot cowed into succumbing to cheap media propaganda meant by the fifth columnists and sponsors to incite leaders and teeming members against the federal Minister, wherein, the latter will be accused of working against the APC constitution and the nation’s electoral process.
The group noted with dismay that these fifth columnists and their paymasters could embark on publishing event news that never happened nowhere in the APC and the Abia state.
Recalling how the Minister of State Mines had on several fora cautioned and stated emphatically, after the last general election that he was more concerned about business of governance, and that the era of politicking was over, YFPA urged the fifth columnists to look for lucrative ventures, rather than serving as willing tools for political destruction and destabilization.
It further advised the purveyors of this fake news to channel their pen to activities that would further consolidate the economic and political stability already achieved by the federal government of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari
The socio-political organization vowed that no amount of campaign of calumny and media propagandas will wail down or distract the Minister from realizing achieving more strides in the nation’s mines and steel Development.
According to the YFPA, “Dr Ogah cannot be cowed into frivolities and cheap propaganda. He has demonstrated leadership qualities both as private, public and loyal party man. The Honorable minister believes that, he (God) that giveth and taketh power.
“He cannot be blackmailed, because, he sin against no man, and the minister has continued to maintain that strong belief that politics cum governance should be all fairness inclusiveness, transparency and accountabliity irrespective of ethnic and political leanings.
“However, fake news of this nature is not coming to the progressive youths as surprise. The type of yellow journalism displayed by the fifth columnists as the fake and viral report, is viewed as part of diabolic machinations of their sponsors in opposition camp meant to portray Ogah in a bad lights, wherein the majority of APC members will be forced to have that notion that the Honorable Minister of State for Mines is carrying out anti party activity in defiance of the party’s constitution and the Nigeria electoral laws.
“YFPA will want to reiterate in clear terms that Dr. Ogah should be left alone. He’s still serving in the federal cabinet, and by the special grace of God, he will be there in the office till the tenure of President Buhari elapse in 2023. For now, he has never told or spoken to anybody or party leadership if he will continue with the pursuit of gubernatorial ambition”.
The Youths For Progressive Alliance, therefore, urge the general public to ignore whatever online post portraying the minister as having declared to run 2023 election for the position of Governor of Abia state.
