Linus Obogo’s latest polemic is less a defence of Governor Bassey Otu’s embattled administration than an exhibition of propaganda masquerading as public communication. It is an emotional tirade and a desperate attempt to elevate political spin above objective reality.
Rather than confronting the substantive issues raised by Senator Prof. Sandy O. Onor, the hard-pressed Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Otu retreats into the familiar refuge of name-calling, character assassination, and theatrical prose designed to distract from the real questions confronting the besieged government he serves.
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For someone occupying the strategic offices of Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor, one would have expected Obogo to respond to criticism with facts, figures, documented achievements, and verifiable evidence. Instead, he produced a lengthy essay devoted almost entirely to vilifying Senator Onor while conspicuously avoiding the substantive issues confronting the administration he represents, particularly those raised by Portrait Peterson concerning the ₦1 billion aviation maintenance fund after Executive Council approval.
Perhaps he needs to be reminded that a government secure in its accomplishments does not require its spokesperson to descend into insults. Rather, it presents facts, welcomes scrutiny, and allows its performance to speak for itself. Unfortunately, Obogo’s lengthy diatribe offers far more invective than verifiable evidence.
His obsession with the 2023 governorship election is particularly revealing; elections are decided on polling day, but governance is judged every day thereafter. The mandate Governor Otu received was never intended to confer lifetime immunity from criticism, any attempt to silence legitimate scrutiny by repeatedly invoking an electoral victory betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of democratic governance.
More importantly, while he devoted thousands of words to attacking personalities, he conspicuously failed to address the issues that many Cross Riverians have been asking about; issues that have generated significant public interest, including government expenditure, project execution, fiscal responsibility and accountability, and service delivery.
Indeed, activists, civil society organisations, and members of the public have repeatedly raised allegations and questions regarding aspects of the administration’s financial management, including the ₦1 billion aviation maintenance fund and other allegedly questionable expenditures. These are matters that deserve clear, documented responses from the government rather than personal attacks on its critics.
If the administration has indeed recorded remarkable achievements, those accomplishments should withstand objective examination without requiring its spokesperson to launch ad hominem attacks against political opponents.
Roads, hospitals, schools, investments, employment figures, internally generated revenue, security improvements, and fiscal transparency are all measurable indicators of performance. They neither become more impressive through exaggerated praise nor less significant because an opposition figure raises concerns.
Confidence in governance is demonstrated through openness, transparency, accountability, and measurable results, not through inflammatory rhetoric aimed at distracting the public from questions that deserve credible answers. The beleaguered Obogo’s article therefore, reveals more about the insecurity of those defending the administration than it does about Senator Onor.
Ndifon Joseph
Caterpillar Movement Media
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