Chief Joemartin Uzodike, a former Anambra Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, has cautioned politicians against mudslinging and integrity attacks, ahead of Nov. 8 governorship election.
Uzodike said in a statement entitled, “Anambra Election: Enough of the Absurd” made available to journalists in Awka on Monday that campaign of calumny and character assassination is unacceptable.
The elder statesman said that he had observed a worrisome and steady degeneration of the quality of conversation in the name of campaign and decided to speak up as an elder should not be in the house while a she goat gives birth in tethers.
“Anambra had not witnessed the level of accusations of certificates forgery, marital infidelity, paternity and fidelity challenges, chastity oaths, DNA disputes and the mental exhumation of the dead with accompanying ‘uncouth, inflammatory and asinine language as is the case recently.
“In my 72 years of existence and more than 46 years of active involvement in politics, I have not seen the display of the absurd in electioneering as has been the case in Anambra presently.
“Anambra has never had a time when the privacy and dignity of families of our politicians are hung on the lines and sun-dried in the marketplace.
“This is especially troubling as our state faces challenges of insecurity, decreasing food production, loss of homesteads to erosion and yearning for better welfare of citizens.
“I vehemently condemn this ugly trend and call on all political gladiators to stop vitriolic attacks and to rein-in their media handlers, many of whom have proven to be unprofessional, unethical, and unable to manage their principals.,’’ he said.
Continuing: “This call for restraint has become necessary because the negative image being created is rubbing off on every Anambra son and daughter anywhere in the world.
“The legacy we bequeath to our children today will turn to our culture tomorrow, this is not who we are,” he said.
Uzodike said that zoning should be discarded in Anambra as it not only bred mediocrity and undermined people’s freedom to choose quality leaders, adding that the state was more sophisticated and deserved the best irrespective of where they came from.
He said that zoning was responsible for diversity of state resources to be concentrated in whatever zone on the seat, instead of working for the people across the zones of the state.
“Zoning was introduced by Mr Peter Obi and was accepted by many it has not only led to complacency but has engendered negative competition among brothers of the same zone.
“Candidates should stop campaigning on zoning and instead be judged on what they have done and what they intend to do.
“The conversation must be rich and enlightening so that the electorate can choose, that is the beauty of democracy.
“Anambra should forget zoning and elect the best to preside over us, not those who merely think it is their turn,” he said.
