The Campaign Organisation of Sen. Sharafadeen Alli, the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, has described as “blatant falsehood” a viral report alleging that his convoy was stoned and booed by residents during a visit to Igbeti.
In a statement on Saturday, the organisation said Alli and his entourage were in Igbeti, Olorunsogo Local Government Area, for a familiarisation visit and not a campaign rally as falsely claimed in the viral report.
The organisation said the report was a desperate political fabrication by mischievous elements allegedly bent on misleading the public and creating an imaginary rejection of the APC candidate where none existed.
It said the entourage was received with enthusiasm by residents and community stakeholders, stressing that the visit was peaceful and that there was no incident of stoning, booing or confrontation.
“The report is completely false, malicious and politically motivated. Sen. Alli was warmly received in Igbeti, and the people demonstrated genuine hospitality towards him and his entourage.
“It is unfortunate that desperate political actors have resorted to manufacturing incidents because they are unable to contend with the reality of Alli’s growing acceptance across the state,” it said.
The campaign organisation challenged those circulating the report to produce credible evidence of the alleged attack, including the exact location, time, photographs, videos or identifiable eyewitnesses.
It said those behind the report should be bold enough to attach their names to their allegations instead of hiding behind anonymous social media accounts to circulate what it described as “political fiction.”
According to the organisation, the reception received in Igbeti, coupled with the rousing welcome accorded Alli’s entourage in Ogbomoso, contradicted the narrative being promoted by propagandists of a sinking political project.”
The organisation said the development was particularly revealing coming against the backdrop of recent attack on Alli’s campaign posters and mini-billboards by
some APM supporters in Akinyele local government.
It alleged that the persons involved were acting on the directive of a lawmaker, describing the alleged removal of campaign materials as an indication of growing apprehension over Alli’s political activities.
“Only a few days ago, some APM miscreants allegedly embarked on the removal of Sen. Alli’s posters and mini-billboards on the alleged directive of a lawmaker.
“Now, the same desperate political machinery is allegedly attempting to create another fiction that Alli was stoned and booed in Igbeti. This is not politics; it is desperation taken too far,” the organisation said.
It warned that the campaign would not be distracted by what it described as “primitive propaganda, political intimidation and manufactured controversies, saying Alli would continue to engage communities across the state.
The organisation said the APC candidate remained focused on his political agenda and would not allow the antics of what it called “panicking opposition elements” to derail his consultations with the people.
It also urged journalists, bloggers and social media users to exercise caution and verify claims before publishing them, stressing that politically motivated falsehoods could damage the credibility of the media and mislead unsuspecting members of the public.
“The people of Igbeti know what happened. They saw Sen. Alli and his entourage. They welcomed them. There was no stoning, no booing and no attack.
“The propagandists may manufacture stories from their rooms, but they cannot manufacture the reality witnessed by the people of Igbeti,” the organisation said.
The campaign organisation therefore urged the public to disregard the viral report, describing it as “another failed attempt by frightened political elements to manufacture rejection for a candidate who is steadily expanding his reach across Oyo State.”
It reaffirmed that Alli would continue his grassroots engagements across the state, saying no amount of propaganda, poster removal or social-media falsehood will stop the people-to-people movement already taking shape.
