Mayor Sunny Afuruobi’s falsehood in the name of rebuttal

Mayor Sunny Afuruobi’s falsehood in the name of rebuttal

 

We read with due diligence and necessary alarm the recent release titled “Rebuttal To A Malicious Propaganda To Smear Loyal Umunneochi Appointees And Elected Officers”, signed by the so-called Media Unit, Office of the Mayor, Umunneochi LGA.

 

What was intended as a defence turned out to be an unintentionally damning self-exposure—one riddled with contradictions, overreactions, and a desperate attempt to rewrite recent history.

 

This is no rebuttal. It is a propaganda script cloaked in denial, soaked in arrogance, and flung at the public with zero evidence.

 

Let us dissect this mess with surgical clarity.

 

*I. When Rebuttals Betray Themselves: “The Allegation of Smart Deceit Is a Dumb Lie”*

 

The Mayor’s media team attempts to dismiss serious allegations of dual political loyalty with childish mockery, calling them “dumb lies.” But if it were truly “dumb,” why waste time and paper responding to it? You don’t scream innocence unless you sense exposure.

 

They argue that appointees who attend “community events” should not be accused of political deceit. But in politics, optics matter. When known Labour Party appointees are spotted cozying up to the Ugo Abia/Ben Kalu structure — without disassociating themselves, without disclaimers, and without clarifications — it’s not just optics. It’s strategy. It’s alignment. It’s betrayal by conduct.

 

*II. Loyalty Cannot Be Declared Through Press Statements — It Must Be Proven*

 

Among the names thrown around in that rebuttal — “Chief Sunny Afuruobi, Dr. Oluebube Chukwu, Hon. Mathias Umeh…” — the key question isn’t what they claim in print. The question is: where do their actual political actions point?

 

Nowhere in the Mayor’s rebuttal was any substantive defense offered for their association with parallel structures. No timelines. No explanations. No disclaimers. Just name-dropping and emotional posturing. Loyalty to Governor Alex Otti cannot be declared from behind press releases and media units — it must be visible in actions, gatherings, affiliations, and public conduct.

 

*III. When Lies Fall Apart: The Case of Documented Appointments Through Elem Chukwuemeka*

 

Now let us address what the Mayor’s camp conveniently wishes to erase from memory — the appointments (recruiting for Rt. Hon Ben Kalu in disguise) publicly communicated by Elem Chukwuemeka, Media Adviser to Hon. Amobi Ogah, on March 18th, 2024.

 

That release proudly announced that several constituents had been appointed as legislative aides in the National Assembly and directed them to contact him (Elem Chukwuemeka) to collect their appointment letters. It wasn’t a rumour. It was an official political communication.

 

One of the appointees, Osita Ugochi Francis, received a letter dated October 19, 2023, signed by Birma Shu’aibu Maina, Secretary of Human Resources and Staff Development, on behalf of the Clerk to the National Assembly. The letter referenced file number NASS/PHR/2023/1055, and appointed Osita as Legislative Assistant to Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Deputy Speaker, on Salary Grade Level 09 Step 11, effective June 13, 2023.

 

Let us quote directly from this document:

 

“You are also entitled to such allowance as applicable in Public Service… Your appointment is at the pleasure of the Honorable Deputy Speaker…”

 

This letter is not a draft. It is not a rumour. It is a federal document.

 

And herein lies the crux: If Osita Ugochi Francis’s appointment was real — documented, referenced, and salaried — then the others instructed to collect theirs from Elem Chukwuemeka certainly did so. Or were expected to.

 

The Mayor’s camp cannot, on one hand, claim innocence and “undivided loyalty” to Governor Alex Otti, while its closest political allies were quietly collecting appointments from a Deputy Speaker working in alignment with a rival structure.

 

This is not just smart deceit. It is structured duplicity.

*IV. The Final Contradiction: “Defiance is not in their DNA. Performance is.”*

If performance was the metric, let us ask:

Where are the constituency scorecards?

Where are the transparent procurement processes?

Why is the Umunneochi Legislative Council raising red flags about opaque LGA finances?

Why does every credible analysis point to governance under secrecy and media manipulation?

The truth is this: the Mayor’s rebuttal is a monument to misdirection — long on adjectives, short on evidence; heavy on praise, light on transparency.

 

CLOSING VERDICT

 

What we are witnessing is a crude attempt to weaponize victimhood and emotional blackmail to distract from well-documented political duplicity.

 

You cannot collect federal appointments from rival power blocs and still cry “loyalty to Otti.”

You cannot hide behind media operatives and attack citizens for holding you accountable.

You cannot pretend performance when your records are buried beneath propaganda.

Governor Alex Otti’s government is founded on truth, transparency, and reform — not on duplicitous alliances and media camouflage.

 

This community sees you. This constituency remembers. And the days of escaping judgment through press releases are over.

 

You can hide pregnancy, but it is undeniable. Find other stories to tell – this one has passed!

 

CONCERNED UMUNNEOCHI CITIZENS, April 2025