Ebonyi indigenes in the Diaspora have disowned a reported protest against Arise TV anchor, Rufai Oseni, following his on-air clash with Minister of Works, Dave Umahi. Ambassador Pascal Oluchukwu clarified that the group behind the protest does not represent the true voice of Ebonyi youths, urging young people to resist manipulation and uphold accountability. He also cautioned Umahi to act with dignity and transparency in his public engagements.
Indigenes of Ebonyi State have disassociated themselves from the reported protest against Arise TV anchor, Rufai Oseni, following his recent on-air clash with the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.
In a statement made available to DAILY POST on Saturday, Ambassador Pascal Oluchukwu, speaking on behalf of Ebonyi indigenes in the Diaspora, said the purported protest did not represent the true voice of the people.
This clarification comes shortly after reports emerged that some youths from Ebonyi State planned to stage a protest demanding an apology from Rufai Oseni over his exchange with Umahi during a live broadcast.
Reacting to the development, Oluchukwu stated that “the group that planned the protest against Rufai did not represent the broad voice of Ebonyi youths nor the spirit of the people of the state.”
He urged genuine Ebonyi youths “to rise above manipulation, focus on their future, and refuse to be used to attack journalists or institutions that stand for accountability and transparency.”
According to him, “their actions only reinforce the culture of sycophancy and intolerance that characterised Umahi’s uncommonly dictatorial eight years in office.”
Oluchukwu emphasized that “transparency demands that no public official, past or present, should be seen to be above or beyond the reach of the law.”
He further called on Arise News, the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and the general public to disregard “the antics of the self-serving group who seek to shield powerful figures from accountability.”
Concluding, Oluchukwu appealed to Senator Dave Umahi “to comport himself with the dignity his current office demands, to respond to public enquiries with facts and humility, and to desist from actions or utterances that further damage the image of Ebonyi State and its people.”
