It is sickening how politicians resort to smear campaign to bring down their perceived opponents or those they perceive to be standing in their way.
Politics is about issues; it is about offering better alternatives to existing situation; it is about proving that you are more experienced than others and that you have better ideas for change than your opponents. It is not about hiring mercenaries to cast aspersions on others. When you are qualified for public office, why should you be afraid to sell yourself on the basis of your ideas and experience?
My experience is that most politicians who sponsor smear campaigns against others usually have nothing to offer. Why do you need to attack the character or integrity of any person because you feel intimated by the popularity of your political opponent?
Ambition is legitimate, provided it is pursued with decency or decorum. You have no right to sponsor attacks on the reputation of people merely because you feel their popularity stands in your way.
I have recently noticed the renewed campaign of calumny being launched against Hon. Shiru Lawal by his APC colleagues. Why should you continue to hate a man with unrelenting intensity, and not because he offended you personally? Does a politician who has something to offer need to abuse or attack the character of anybody? Should you hate a politician because he is formidably loved by the people? Is qualification for public office determined by the amount of vitriol you pour on your rival or by ideas and issues? Why should any society tolerate this kind of primitive politics? Do you impress the governor or people at the grassroots by your capacity to damage others out of sheer desperation to get power?
Majority of our people are gullible and therefore, they get easily swayed by smear campaign or propaganda. No serious society should encourage this kind of politics. Real politics is about programmes and issues, and the ability of aspirants or candidates to persuade people to elect them based on those issues. If politicians can be challenged to defend their ambitions on the basis of ideas or issues rather than personal attacks on fellow who they see standing there way, a lot of these character assassinators will find no space in politics to sell trash.
When he was appointed as the sole administrator of Lokoja local government Shiru became instantly popular with the ordinary people of Lokoja and made a remarkable political impact within a short space of time. He identified with the ordinary people unlike other politicians who came to them only when they needed their votes. Shiru lawal has always maintained an open door policy to the ordinary people, regardless of their political affiliations.
By its nature, popularity attracts envy, and it is obvious that Shiru lawal is a victim of his political popularity. It is natural for a politician to attract popularity once he identifies with the people and offers them succour in their hour of distress. In fact, even when the local government is facing paucity of funds, Shiru didn’t stop his philanthropic activities.
Despite the end of the political solidarity campaigns of Team Best, Shiru still remains formidably popular with the people of Lokoja.
Since those power mongers that are sponsoring E-rats on facebook to black mail shiru are in the same APC, there is no need for the smear campaigns by his team against his fellow party colleague.
It seems the Team and deluded followers seems not to understand the basic thing about serving an oppressed people. It is not about, London pictures or expensive suit and kaftan pictures. It should be a clearly defined path of how they intend to change the peoples lives for the better.
For example, how they intend to raise the IGR of the local government, how they intend plan to pay workers 100℅ of their salaries on or before 28th of every month,. Things like this. they should show us exactly what they have to offer in terms of education, security, better welfare, healthcare etc. They should show us a clear path to what they want to achieve! and show us a dream!
What Shiru’s political enemies fail to realize is that the more they attack his reputation, the more sympathy he gets from the people and the more they like him as a result. Therefore, the current smear campaigns against him are a waste of time and counter-productive.
– Abbas Yahaya
