The Bayelsa State Government has refuted a viral audio alleging the Chief of State to the Government House, Chief Benson Agadaga to have appealed to Mr. Vijah Opuama of the Liberation Party over the elections petition issues in court.
This was made public by a statement released by Mr. Daniel Alabrah, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor on Thursday.
Read full statement below;
“The attention of the Bayelsa State Government has been drawn to a vexatious audio in circulation on the social media, which impugns on the integrity of the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Yenagoa, Chief Benson Agadaga, and that of the state government.
The audio also attempts to malign the reputation of Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, particularly the Honourable Justice Mary Odili.
In the audio, a man claiming to be Chief Benson Agadaga was heard appealing to Mr. Vijah Eldred Opuama, who is the candidate of the Liberation Movement in the November 2019 governorship election in the state, over issues bordering on the latter’s petition before the state governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja.
The same man also claimed in the audio that the Supreme Court Justices were purportedly working with them.
Unfortunately, the voice of the man in the audio claiming to be Chief Benson Agadaga does not tally nor correspond with that of the Chief of Staff as well as his standard of English. It was a poor concoction with an intention to deceive the unwary.
The state government wishes to put it on record that none of its officials is involved in the shenanigans to taint the name and reputation of very respected Jurists in our country.
The government also states that this is yet another ploy by the Liberation Movement candidate, Vijah Eldred Opuama, and his sponsors in a well-known opposition party in the state to divert attention from the issues before the governorship election tribunal. Rather than face the substance of their case in the tribunal, they have sadly elected to engage in whipping up of sentiments in the social media in order to attract and curry undeserved sympathy.
We further state that the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, and his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, remain focused and undeterred by the diversionary tactics of the opposition elements, who already know that their case lacked substance and had fallen flat at the tribunal.
We emphatically aver that neither the Governor, the Deputy Governor nor the state government at any time ask any of its officials to contact or enter into discussion with the said Vijah Eldred Opuamah or anyone for that matter with respect to the issues before the election petition tribunal.
The state government therefore distances itself from the said audio and is ready to take actions in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to unravel those behind it.”
