Dissociates self from slander
Calls for Support for the Re-Election of President Goodluck Jonathan
At a press conference convened, the Nasarawa State Governorship Candidate, Mr Labaran Maku refuted some peddling rumours among others, that he had accused the PDP-led Nigerian government for being the author of the dreaded Boko Haram sect. He described the peddling rumours as calculated media attempts to slur him into a friction and tarnish his image upon leaving the cabinet of federal minister and securing the gubernatorial ticket under the platform of APGA.
Labaran Maku, being the former federal Minister for Information who also held sway as Minister in charge of Home Security with the PDP government has pitched tenth with the ruling government and called for support for the re-election of the PDP presidential candidate, the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan emphasising that, the people of Nasarawa would not be deterred from voting out the regime of violence in the state.
Mr Maku stated in a text of speech released via the social media and obtained by NUJEurope that "the President and the Federal Government have absolutely nothing to do with the growth of terrorism in the North!
"I therefore wish to disassociate myself completely from these fictions against President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and call on the media to desist from publishing these mischievious lies without cross checking their facts.
"One of the purpose of this story is to create disaffection between the president and my good self especially following my emergence as the gubernatorial candidate of APGA at the April 11 elections in Nasarawa State.
"These blackmail will not stop the desire of the people of Nasarawa State to end the regime of violence in the state, nor will it stop the re election of President Goodluck Jonathan whose Governement has laid the basis for the transformation of the Nigerian Economy and Society in spite of the distractions he has suffered in the last four years.
"I call on all Nigerians to ignore these fictions and to massively turnout to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan at the election on March 28."
Below is the Full TEXT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE OF APGA GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE IN NASARAWA STATE, MR. LABARAN MAKU!
"My attention has been drawn to lies and slander being peddled in the media, especially the social media claiming that I Labaran Maku said: President Goodluck Jonathan is the sponsor of Boko Haram, regretted working for President Jonathan's government and attributed the emergence of the Boko Haram insurgency to the PDP-led Federal Government.
Almost like a bolt from the blues, the enemies of President Jonathan went and created a satanic image with Photoshop, specifically "Imagechef.com" with the heading, "President Jonathan is the sponsor of Boko Haram, Labaran Maku said."
Although Photoshop is known for being used for mischief on a global scale, what they did was to use my good name to sell a poisonous story to the world about President Jonathan.
This is absolute slander and completely unacceptable in our democracy today!
My campaign team immediately rebuffed the concocted "photoshop" lie by releasing a media statement titled, "Maku Condemns Reports on Social Media Claiming He Said President Jonathan is the Sponsor behind Boko haram." Popular news sites and bloggers including Linda Ikeji circulated this statement and crushed the wicked lies being spread about in the media.
However, that did not detain President Jonathan's enemies and my distractors from their malevolent and deceitful ways because less than a week later, they began circulating another story in the media claiming that I told my supporters at one of my campaign tours of Akwanga Local Government in Nasarawa that I regretted working for President Jonathan's Government that is sponsoring disgruntled elements to kill its citizens and that Boko Haram insurgency is a product of the PDP -led Federal Government.
The desperation by opponets of president Jonathan to drag him down at all cost has led to attempts to blackmail and slander the president and his loyalists in the media, especially the social media.
In order to make their slander against the president believable, they have resorted to quoting loyal people to him as alledgedly attacking his person and his government. I have been one of the victims of this evil and ungodly propaganda against the president in the last few weeks.
It has now become obvious that there is a sustained campaign in the media to smear my good name and to create disaffection between President Jonathan and I!
The idea is simple: If Labaran Maku, a trusted loyalist and defender of President Jonathan for years can say this about the president, then it must be true. Because even after we passionately and quickly issued a rebuttal against the concocted "photoshop" lie, a few media platforms continued to publish this falsehood in a deliberate attempt to make innocent citizens believe them.
The president's opponents have resorted to the method employed by Adolf Hitler's propaganda chief, Joseph Gobus that if a lie could be told repeatedly, human beings would be compelled to believe it.
I therefore once again use the opportunity of this press conference to condemn all repeated slander against President Jonathan by his opponents using my good name in order to compel Nigerians to believe them. Although in politics, desperation is often not ruled out, it is clear that what is going on is truly appaling and evil.
Let me state clearly that I have never said that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is the sponsor of Boko Haram. I never at any point, and surely didnt say at any campaign tour stop that I regret working for President Jonathan's government, and I also never said or even implied that the Insurgency in the Northern Region of Nigeria is a product of the PDP-led federal Government. This is and has always been my position on the above matters!
Those familiar with my position on violence in the country will recall that I have consistently linked the eruption of violence, especially terror violence in parts of the North to the negative and desperate mix of religion and politics in some Northern States controlled by the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC).
This mindless exploitation of religion for political power, and the failure by the affected states to address the basic needs of their people is what has led to the growth of violence in the Northern Region.
The President and the Federal Government have absolutely nothing to do with the growth of terrorism in the North!
I therefore wish to disassociate myself completely from these fictions against President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and call on the media to desist from publishing these mischievious lies without cross checking their facts.
One of the purpose of this story is to create disaffection between the president and my good self especially following my emergence as the gubernatorial candidate of APGA at the April 11 elections in Nasarawa State.
These blackmail will not stop the desire of the people of Nasarawa State to end the regime of violence in the state, nor will it stop the re election of President Goodluck Jonathan whose Governement has laid the basis for the transformation of the Nigerian Economy and Society in spite of the distractions he has suffered in the last four years.
I call on all Nigerians to ignore these fictions and to massively turnout to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan at the election on March 28.
#MakuMaku2015 #ChangeForNasarawa"
Posted by Lashley Oladigbolu
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