Metuh Condemns Attack on Gbajabiamila, Calls for Issue-based Engagement

A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, has condemned the recent attack on the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
Metuh stated this in a release issued Thursday in reaction to the recent media reports on the alleged allocation of N10 billion to renovate Gbajabiamila’s official residence.
According to him, from all indications, there appears to be a clear and present plan to attack, vilify and tarnish the image of the Chief of Staff to the President.
Metuh noted that it was indeed alarming that the country’s democracy has descended to the realm of gossip, lies and outright falsehood machinated by anti-democratic forces seeking to further breed resentments, bitterness, division disagreements in the polity.
He said: “While not holding brief for any interest, I believe, especially from my standpoint as a non-partisan advocate for the deepening of participatory democracy and its tenets of social justice and good governance, such participation must be devoid of falsehood, political, creed and ethnic undertones. It must be guided by the demands of truth, justice and patriotism at all times.
“Targeting a government official such as the Chief of Staff to the President with gossip, lies and outright falsehood is not the way to go. No matter how strongly one feels about any issue, lies cannot yield the desired result for nation development we all yearn for; only the truth will.”
Metuh stressed that having suffered from one of the worst media trials and persecution, albeit State-sponsored, he knew what it means to be confronted with a web of lies built on conspiracy.
He added that during his days of partisan politics, he never shared the same political ideology with Gbajabiamila, but he has always known him to be from a very respectable pedigree with family values.
Metuh noted: “I do not know whether Femi’s attacks are sponsored internally as a case of intense rivalry or externally as a way of disorganising the government, but I know that our present style of pull-him-down politics is too destructive and does not add any value to nation building.
“The idea of mostly young Nigerians to embrace and feast on destructive engagements may ultimately destroy our democracy. I hope this is not the intention of the sponsors.
“To deepen our democracy, we need to engage in constructive opposition built on facts and offering of alternatives and options to government policies and programmes. I will always appreciate the style of the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, in always offering his own opinions on major policies.”