DELTA POLITICS: Social Media Aides May Face Sanctions For Defamation of Opponents.... PDP Cautions

Media aides to aspirants in Delta state have been cautioned over defamation of political opponents under the party, before the primaries.

The warning came from the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State as it read the riot act to social media aides and bloggers working for aspirants at various levels.



The party advised the media aides to stop media campaign of blackmail and defamation of character or, face the negative consequences therefrom.

This was the position of the party in a strong worded press statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Hon Ifeanyi Michael Osuoza as it warned that PDP Delta under the leadership of His Excellency, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa and Barrister Kingsley Esiso as State Party chairman, will no longer tolerate a situation where social media aides of aspirants consistently use abusive words thereby defaming the character and reputation of opponents within the party structure in the state.

"PDP is one big and united political  family. Aspirants under our great party are key players in the electioneering processes and nobody within the party structure is permitted to abuse, insult or defame fellow party member aspirants".

"It is now a sacrilege for a fellow party member to defame another before and after party primaries", it warned.

"The field is open and it's a level playing ground for all members of our party either seeking re-election or presenting themselves for elections in 2019".

"We love all aspirants and no opponent under PDP is permitted to castigate or assassinate the character of another fellow party man", the Delta state PDP Publicity Secretary emphasized

"Once candidates emerges at the primaries, it is the political culture and tradition of PDP to collapse all structures in support of candidates for election victory".

"Personal issues and unresolved person to person squabbles must never be noticed in campaign and consultations by aspirants; rather party members who have personal issues must find ways and means of reconciling themselves to avoid being sanctioned before party primaries.".

The party called on aspirants to instruct their social and conventional media aides to desist from blackmail, irresponsible and distasteful media campaign before party primaries, going forward," the statement added.

In a related development, the Executive Assistant on Communications to the state Governor, Barrister Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe has urged media aides to the various aspirants to remain responsible and focus on issue based media campaigns.

Oghenesivbe advised social media practitioners especially those of PDP family to henceforth abhore being used by self centered and non-performing politicians to achieve their parochial and narrow minded political ambitions.

The EAC gave the advise in a widely circulated press statement made available to newsmen on 8th May, 2018.

Barrister Oghenesivbe noted that the rich and wealthy politicians took advantage of the acute poverty ravaging the country under Buhari and APC Presidency to use social media bloggers for dirty political jobs, especially by remote controlling them to defame, abuse and insult their perceived political detractors and opponents.

"It's time to stop this crazy and dirty media altercation designed to undo others at the detriment of your reputation and future political career", he stated.

"The politicians themselves have well educated children but refused to engage their siblings to do the dirty jobs. They are wiser while you get peanuts to destroy your future unknowingly or knowingly".

"It is therefore very important for all social media bloggers to stop all manner of blackmail, defamation of character and use of abusive words in media campaign and political Communication generally".

The statement further noted that; "It is also very important for media aides of leaders of the opposition party to adhere strictly to the rules of the game and do their work without using abusive and insultive words so as not to provoke bitter and aggressive media campaign as we fast approach 2019 general elections".