By Jonathan Eneojo John
Listen, I almost let this one slide. I really did. But I know the Deputy Governor’s Media Team won’t stoop so low to dignify you with a response, reason why I have to wade in. While much of the current political discourse lacks the substance to warrant a formal rebuttal, prolonged silence carries significant risk. In this clime, failing to challenge misinformation is frequently equated with consenting to it. We must speak to ensure our silence is not weaponized as a signature of approval.
Michael Samuel Idoko, we need to have a real conversation. It beats my imagination, how a man like you, still tripping over his own feet in the PDP, chasing a ticket that looks more like a mirage, suddenly finds the moral compass to lecture the APC on how to run a house. It is the kind of audacity you only find in Nigerian politics: someone whose own roof is leaking trying to tell his neighbour how to refine the facade, if any.
We recognize the ‘kangaroo endorsement’ narrative you have been spinning for what it is: a well-crafted piece of political fiction. It is high on drama but devoid of facts. For those of us focused on substantive governance, a narrative without a basis in verifiable fact is simply noise we cannot afford to entertain.
The narrative lacks any empirical foundation. There are no records, no established processes but merely a bunch of vibes and assumptions masquerading as a political post-mortem. To then attempt to tether this fabrication to the Office of the Deputy Governor is not only intellectually dishonest; it is an absurdity that warrants no further serious consideration.
I may not be a spokesperson for the Deputy Governor, but let’s get one thing straight. His Excellency, Comrade Joel Oyibo Salifu, is not a political wanderer looking for relevance. He is, by position and by responsibility, a rallying point within Kogi East. Our overall leader. A stabilizing figure. You may disagree with him, that is your right. But to reduce his role to that of a desperate kingmaker is not just inaccurate, it is intellectually lazy, and a great pity.
Think about the mechanics of power for a second. Politics is not a solo sport. In a structure as heavy and layered as the ruling APC, you do not just whisper a candidate into existence at a local hangout and call it a day. Decisions of such magnitude are not made in isolation. That is not how it works. There are channels. There are long, exhausting consultations. There is, above all, alignment with the broader leadership of the party, including that of his principal, the Governor and Chief Servant of the state. That is how serious political systems function. Not through the mere imagination of opposition commentators like you, who are still finding it difficult to resolve your chaotic daily party pandemonium.
Governance is an exercise in coordination, not a solo performance. The idea that the Deputy Governor would act outside of established protocols without consequence is an administrative fiction. One must seriously interrogate the motives or the mental health of anyone attempting to pass such a transparently flawed theory as political fact.
This brings us to the core of the matter. This is not merely about an endorsement or the Office of the Deputy Governor; it is about the calculated attempt to manufacture fracture where there is unity.
We have entered the electioneering season. This season traditionally breeds a brand of alarmist literature that operates independent of the truth. These are narratives designed to deform, not to inform. We know their antics. We remain vigilant against a climate where the sheer repetition of a lie is offered as a substitute for the truth.
Because beyond the noise, there is a simpler, quieter truth. The APC remains a cohesive political force in the state. Not because it is flawless, but because it is grounded in a shared direction. A common purpose. A structure that, despite its imperfections, still holds. Our people are not passive. They have seen this play before. They recognize the rhythm. The sudden outrage from opposition. The fake analysis. The selective concern. And they are not buying it.
Compare our party’s stability with the opposition, where fragmentation and chronic dysfunction are not merely rumours, but documented realities. Their internal contradictions are not whispered; they are televised. There is a profound irony in a PDP member like Michael attempting to pokenose into the APC from a distance. It is a comedic spectacle: those whose own house is engulfed in flames attempting to conduct a fire safety inspection on ours.
So, keep writing the fiction. Build up your lies. Invent your cook-up stories. Raise your alarms. Construct your fake narratives. That is your right. While you are entitled to your creative liberties, you are not entitled to have them recognized as fact.
The Deputy Governor is focused and less perturbed by your paid antics. The party is on track. And the people? They are a lot smarter than you are giving them credit for and already know the stock in trade that of some of you exhibit during every election season for peanuts. Mike, change style. This is already obsolete.
Not this time, Michael. Not anymore!
— Jonathan Eneojo John writes from Olamaboro, Kogi State.
