EBIRA PEOPLE'S ASSOCIATION (EPA)
TEXT OF PRESS STATEMENT
BY
DR GODWIN OYIBO
PRESIDENT GENERAL
A CALL FOR UNITY IN THE AFTERMATH OF OUR ELECTORAL VICTORY
27th November, 2023
My Fellow Anegbira,
I heartily felicitates with Egbira nation on the feat of victory in the recently concluded Kogi State gubernatorial election that produced one of our own as the governor-elect. The news of the victory excites jubilations as much as it ignites hope across the Ebira nation and beyond. May God reward our unity and commitment to the good of our land.
I am however compelled to address some prevailing developments with great concerns within our esteemed general public. It has been observed that there has been an upsurge in the use of voice notes, videos, and text messages containing extremely harsh and derogatory comments, particularly on various social media platforms, directed towards certain politicians in the land, following recent reprimands by His Excellency, Alh Yahaya Bello, the Executive Governor of Kogi State.
It remains understandable that differences in political views and actions may arise, and discussions surrounding governance and policies are fundamental to a flourishing democratic society. However, the level of indecency that has so far characterized the tones and nature of the referenced set of clips is highly objectionable. They have escalated beyond healthy debate to the point that they are now divisive, hateful and counterproductive. This is the high point of my concerns.
Up until my last check, His Excellency, Alh Yahaya Bello, has not overtly or covertly enlisted anyone to further those reprimands, neither has he shown helplessness in taking care of the situation himself that should have warranted anyone trying to help and thereby heating up the system. This cannot be the intention of His Excellency.
While I acknowledge genuine concerns in some of those clips that have been so far aired, engaging in scornful languages, threats or resorting to personal attacks as a way of addressing them will not only compound the situation, it will also tarnish our collective image and ridicule us as a community. We therefore wish to appeal as follows:
1. All voice notes and video clips for and against any of the political appointees and any others persons at that should henceforth stop and the existing ones should be prevented from further circulation.
2. Administrators of Ebira Group WhatsApp Platforms should henceforth prevent participants from using their platforms for this nature of divisive messages and hate speeches.
3. All Ebira social media outlets should instead be devoted to propagating the messages of peace and love among our people.
As a people, we should be mindful that the euphoria of our victory at the just concluded governorship election is still fresh and well alive, let us not dampen the mood by our utterances or actions. Like I have charged you just recently, let us seek the face of God for the incoming government of Alh Usman Ododo to be able to address these vexed issues and put them behind us. What should preoccupy our minds at this crucial moment is the peaceful inauguration of the Governor-Elect and the eventual good governance that we all envisage.
In conclusion, I urge every one of us to reflect on the above realities and exercise restraints in our conducts and utterances both online and offline. Our strength lies in our unity, and together we can foster an environment of constructive dialogue for the betterment of the Ebira nation.
Let us be ambassadors of unity, understanding, and healthy communication.
Yours Sincerely,
signed
Dr Godwin Oyibo,
President-General.
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