By: Oginyi Nkechinyere/Ebonyi
APC Gubernatorial Candidate, Senator Sonni Ogbuoji has accused Ebonyi State Government of banning his campaign jingle from being aired on the state radio and television.
The Senator also debunked a statement he credited to the state Governor Engr. David Umahi on Sunday during the state government thanksgiving service that “He” Senator Ogbuoji is not campaigning but rather hoping on rigging the 2019 election.
In a statement signed by the Director, Media and Publicity Senator Ogbuoji Campaign Organization, Mr Ikenna Emewu and made available to our correspondent, the APC Governorship Candidate alleged that the Director General of the Ebonyi Broadcasting Corporation Engr. Timothy Nwanchi has refused to approve the jingle sent to his office.
Senator Ogbuoji, however appeal to Ebonyi people not to relent in their support for him and All Progressive Congress in the state.
The statement read in parts, ‘‘After a jittery claim by Gov. Umahi in a stage-managed and paid-for church thanksgiving in Abakaliki, I heard that Umahi was busy inciting his audience that I am not campaigning because I plan to rig the next election and use federal might to write results.
‘‘But what is worrisome is that he refuses to tell the people that he has ordered the Ebonyi State radio and TV never to air my campaign jingles.
‘‘The truth is that the media office of my campaign organization on December 17, Monday, sent three jingles of my campaign to the EBBC and indicating readiness to pay. But the Director General, Mr. Timothy Nwachi, acting on a standing instruction by Umahi to block me from being heard has sat on that advert and refused to approve it for publication.
‘‘It has been a ding-dong for a week and all calls from my media office to get a word from him on that fell flat. Nwachi, acting irrationally and unprofessionally against the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, rules refused to pick calls to him or reply to text messages sent him several times to explain to him to give a response and air the jingles.
“The office has also called the marketing department of the media that confirmed the jingles cannot be aired until the DG gives approval.
“As we make this known, Nwachi, in defiance of all decorum has sat on that approval and vowed that it cannot be heard. The same man who goes with the epithet of an APOSTLE of whatever we can’t understand lies that I don’t campaign.
‘’All listeners know that my campaign jingles have been on on the Radio Nigeria, Unity FM, Abakaliki in the past three weeks.
‘‘I understand what campaign is about having contested elections more than Umahi and lost none. If he thinks the money he shares to churches, schools, beggars unions, artisans etc to buy votes is campaign, I say no to that approach.
I campaign by appealing to the conscience of the people and not vote buying.
‘‘I want to remind Ebonyians that this same person that suddenly turned Father Christmas is the same Umahi that emasculated and impoverished you for close to four years.
“That means he deliberately starved you these years only to start releasing the same money he took from you and hoarded so that you will be hungry enough at a time like this when he wants your vote to start bringing it out and buy you over.
‘‘I advise you to take the money from him because it’s your money he denied you, but never lose your mind to accept his tricks. Never forget that if Umahi could enslave you in his first tenure when he has a stake of contesting for a second tenure, if he comes back when he has no such stake, he will sell your family members for his profit.
‘‘You people that listen to him should please ask him to run the EBBC as a state agency owned by Ebonyi and not Umahi.
“But if he insists, then I will find alternative ways to reach you and win your votes, but always confront him with a simple question of why he ordered the DG of EBBC, Timothy Nwachi to block my jingles from being aired.
‘‘We know what to do and how to get round it and secure redress if we want because that impunity against the laws of Nigeria about media organizations that should be apolitical and neutral is an affront” Ogbuoji laments.
