By VICTOR NWACHUKWU
OWERRI- The Imo Government has refuted a social media report that Gov. Hope Uzodimma faulted the Appeal Court judgment which acquitted detained leader of the proscribed Indigenious People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.
The state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Declan Emelumba made the refuttal in a statement he signed in Owerri on Friday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Appellate Court, on Thursday, quashed the allegations for which Kanu was arrested and detained as well as discharged and acquitted him.
Emelumba described the report as “fake, embarrassing and infantile”.
He said that the report was the handiwork of mischief makers, enemies of government and disgruntled members of the opposition aimed at dragging the governor’s image to the mud.
He added that the governor, as a law abiding citizen, believed in the rule of law and could not have queried the judgment as insinuated by the fake news.
” After the series of successes recorded by Uzodimma in governance and other national assignments, disgruntled opposition and purveyors of misleading information have been trying to whittle down his popularity.
” Those familiar with the character of the state governor will affirm that he has never criticised the judiciary even when judgments did not go his way in personal matters.
” It is the height of mischief and perjury for anyone in the state to attribute such a comment to Uzodimma,” he said.
He, however, advised managers of public information to be circumspect in the discharge of their duties.
He further advised Nigerians to ignore the fake news as neither the governor nor any of his aides had reacted to the Appeal Court judgment on Kanu.
” The fake news did not attempt to answer the fundamental questions of 5Ws and H,which are who, what, when, where, why and how, concerning any news story. This renders it fake and unprofessional,” the commissioner said. (NAN)
