FOFANO: REJOINDER ON THE SLANDER AND LIBELOUS PUBLICATION BY SAHARA REPORTERS

PRESS STATEMENT

Overtime I have deliberately, for obvious reasons avoided the social media on account of abuse of the privilege it accords everyone under the fundamental right of free speech. However, I followed discourse especially when it evolves around key critical issues but with a self-caution, not to be stampeded to irrationality.

I was inundated by calls, text messages and WhatsApp chats where my attention was drawn to the libelous publication by Sahara Reporters where my name and picture was captioned and which content was nothing more than its characteristic style of scandal and attack on the person and office of His Excellency, Chief Crowther Seth, the Nzeanzo of Bachama Kingdom and Deputy Governor of Adamawa State.

Our people has the adage that “If a hyena goes round the mortar, it is not the mortar that it is looking for, but that which is in the mortar”.

To this, I therefore ask, which Editor publishes this trash? “It has been revealed that Wilson Fofano, a Personal Media Assistant (PMA) to the Adamawa State Deputy Governor, Crowther Seth, has dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress. SaharaReporters reports that Fofano was also seen and voted as a delegate in last Saturday’s APC congress in Adamawa State.”

Who revealed? Where was it revealed? What was the occasion of the revelation? The fact is that the medium is rag tag run by hungry pedestrians otherwise, me, a slandered Wilson Fofano would have smiled to the banks if I hired a good lawyer. Indeed I serve as a media aid to Deputy Governor Crowther Seth but that I am an APC sympathizer is no secret.

The Deputy Governor Crowther is my mentor from when I Mr. Fofano was Secretary to the Traditional Council and he was Chairman Lamurde Local Government on Zero Party and to date the most accomplished local council Chairman, State Commissioner in the Adamawa State Government and now elevated as Deputy Governor. Do we separate our blood relationship sacrificed on the political whims of lazy unemployed hack writers of the SaharaReporters type?

I, Wilson Fofano am a bona-fide APC delegate. But by engagement, I am a staff of the Deputy Governor on personal grounds and terms that respect this status. So what?

It is so regrettable but obvious that it has not been revealed but a well-worn known fact that I, Wilson Fofano, a Personal Media Assistant (PMA) to the Adamawa State Deputy Governor, Crowther Seth, was not in PDP and could not therefore have dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) where I have always been. This is a typical scenario in Adamawa Politics. Many delegates of ADC and even APC are in the Government as Special Assistants and have not been victimized. Those hungry Sahara Reporters that cannot be gainfully employed run around in tattered clothing to malign Chief Crowther Seth for a meal and a cold beer. They have no shame.

The write up is nothing more than the subversive, subterranean and dishonourable conspiracy which I have earlier discovered and revealed in previous responses to these social media tabloids and or their mischief sponsors against the person of Chief Crowther Seth.

These tabloids, especially agents of Sahara Reporters and their ilks have assumed a seeming role of a devious hatchet man with a detestable plot to impugn the integrity and personality of the Deputy Governor, Chief Crowther Seth with the chief aim of causing disaffection between him and his principal.

Their consistent and serial whimsical focus on the Deputy Governor and the wicked analogy was to forcefully drive home their plot with the intent to ‘give a dog a bad name in order to kill it”.

I have often stated that these tabloid has compromised its integrity, credibility and any requisite moral rectitude as a social media outfit who are only out to make money as a result of the recent patronage and frenzy of social media but deeply repugnantly clannish with a brazen intent in divisive schism through fraudulent conjectures having been bereft of ideas and ideals of journalism one of which is ‘balanced reporting’.

I said this with every sense of responsibility as I ask them, HAVING SEEN ME AT THE APC CONGRESS AND TAKING MY PICTURE, WHY DIDN’T THEY ENGAGE ME IN AN INTERVIEW? HOW WERE THEY ABLE TO INTERVIEW AND QUOTE INNOCENT KOTTO OF THE PDP WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF NUMAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT?

The consistent and serial attacks or negative media reportage against the Deputy Governor, Chief Crowther Seth gives room for many questions that begs for answers.

In as much as the report is not deserving of a response or dignified by explanation, the impervious malfeasance desire of the Sahara publication to orchestrate these arguments and parochialism has the capability to create an uninformed perception and thought, hence the need for an avoidable recipe.

The report further indicates comments from certain notable persons whose names were mentioned and quoted, I therefore state; with the many alleged goofs on the part of these leaders, perhaps it is necessary to caution that those who took the courage of airing out views should be circumspect and stop being the anthills of the savannah used in making ‘things fall apart”.

We should be the societal arbiter and not catalyst for brewing altercations. The chameleon says ‘he will not alter his dignified manner of walking just because the forest is on fire’.

I, Wilson Japhet Fofano was indeed seen and voted as a delegate in Saturday’s APC congress in Adamawa State. Gusto.

But what were the reporters scrambling for at the convention grounds?
Little wonder that following my last Press Release, the Press Secretary to the Governor, Solomon Kumanga questioned my role as Personal Media Aide to the Deputy Governor where he described me as a “self-acclaimed” PMA to the Deputy Governor. Enough of the pretense and silence from both the Party and the Government of Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.

I want to personally believe all these orchestrated propaganda and feeding of the gullible public with these diets of lies simply for desperation to pitch the Deputy Governor against his principal as a plot for grandstanding for 2023. I am conscious of these concerted efforts to arm-twist Chief Crowther Seth to give up on his constitutional mandate through such ‘distraction and political mind game’. As his PMA, I see Chief Crowther Seth as the ‘ebullient tsetse-fly’ (attempt killing it, you risk busting your scrotal, leave it, he sucks you dry).
My people have the saying that: “When the season for a traditional rite approaches, the priest and his kinsmen always find ways to swindle the King with unnecessary demands”). I am also well aware of internal plot to dislodge him by discrediting his home support base towards 2023, especially by those who had abandoned their primary assignment and are more now at the corridor of the Governor instigating all sorts of plots and mischief.

Like Babajide of the favourite TVC’s Journalists Hangout will say: “I am ashamed of Nigerian Journalists” (apology to the good and objective ones, please).

In this digital age, you do not need a party cleavage to serve a leader who is carrying every one along as Crowther Seth has been doing. If these renegade reporters need to know, they are yet to play a song that can earn them stipends from the Deputy Governor, what they covet and are tearing people down for. We shall meet in court for them to show me the PDP credentials of mine in their possession. Let us make the point.

Wilson Fofano