A member of the House of Representatives from Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency of Cross River State, Dr Alex Egbona has warned against the character assassination of opponents in the course of election campaign activities.
He spoke on Wednesday to mark the commencement of election campaigns in line with the guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, noting that office seekers should also avoid any form of violent activities as they approach the electorate for votes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Egbona, who is also the chairman of the House of Reps committee on specialty healthcare, said politicians should learn to sell themselves to the public, showing their track record and past political activities, and allow the voting public to take their decisions, instead of coercing them and plotting to destroy their opponents.
He said: “As political campaigns begin today, I can only expect that our politicians will play the game decently and in line with INEC regulations.
“I have been involved in politics for sometime now and I have been very intentional about decent and issue-based politics. In the last few weeks, I have concentrated in show-casing my performance record, especially for the past seven years of my service in the National Assembly.
“I have show-cased my strides in all the sectors-health, education, social services, employment of constituents, electricity, empowerment, et cetera. I have shown the bills and motions I have sponsored and moved.
“These are the parameters that I would want the electorate to assess me with. The projects I have embarked on are not audio projects; neither did I tell lies about them. I have been sincere about all the things I have done and presented to the public. Please judge me based on these.
“So, all those who are seeking the votes of our people should also do same, instead of assassinating the character of their opponents or going about with false tales on what they are planning to do, or even hiding under some claims to deceive the people on how they would turn water to crude oil, all in a bid to get the people’s votes.
“As we begin campaigns today, let’s be civil and truthful to the people. Every lie told and every deceitful claim made will be exposed in no distant time. Let’s concentrate on issues of development and stop trying to destroy others because we want to get to the top. It will not work. The game has begun. And I know that we cannot walk alone.”
Egbona said he would adopt a civilised approach in his campaigns, saying he was not known for politics of destruction.
