Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s media aide Comrade, Stanley Uchenna Ezediuto, has accused former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu of allegedly paying music artistes, Flavour and Phyno the sum of N78m to smear the governor through #EndSARS protests in the state.
This came as the youths of the Enugu State have announced candle light procession for Tuesday and Wednesday nights in honour of those who were killed before and during the protest against police brutality, extrajudicial killings and extortion in the state capital in particular and the nation in general.
The Enugu State government has been accused of hiring thugs to threaten peaceful #EndSARS protesters in Enugu on Saturday.
The music stars from Southeast, Flavour, Phyno, Zoro, KCee and music producer, Mastercraft, had on Saturday alleged in jointly statement issued on behalf of the protesters accused the governor of walking out on them and refusing to answer their questions shortly after addressing the mammoth crowd near government house.
In the statement they posted on their verified Twitter handles, the stars said that if anything happens to any protester at the cause of the protest campaign, the State government should be held responsible.
“In Enugu today our lives were threatened and we are making it clear that if ANYTHING happens to any single one of us or any protestors, let it be known that it was done by the ENUGU STATE GOVERNMENT!
“Today, our peaceful protest in Enugu from Ogbete Market to the Enugu State Government House was going well until we reached the government house”.
“Along the way, we noticed a group of thugs joined the protests, they claimed.
Continuing, they alleged that “the governor came out but refused to speak up and address the protestors, instead he addressed the thugs.”
“The thugs tried to fight us but we maintained peace because we recognized their plan.”
They said they maintained and remained clam in their protest, yet the governor refused to answer their questions.
“Instead he walked out on us, unapologetically, with the thugs following him. We made it clear that we knew the people he was pretending to address were paid thugs”.
The stars and some of the protesters had drawn the ire of the governor when they wanted him to answer questions on the governance of Enugu, saying Enugu was not working.
Also, when he reiterated his usual statement that Enugu is the hand of God, the protesters countered that they elected him, hence Enugu is in his hands.
But, Ezediuto, Technical Assistant, Media and Publicity to Governor Ugwuanyi, on Tuesday, circulated a statement tagged “Flavour and Phyno received N78m from Senate Ike Ekweremadu to blackmail Governor Ugwuanyi” on some Media platforms in the state and blogs.
The report he personally signed read: “It is no longer news that some miscreants have highjacked the peaceful #EndSars protest in Enugu State just to satisfy their quest for earthly wealth.
“How can a protest engineered by the Nigerian Youths be used for self-aggrandizement?
“I wish to state that Phyno and Flavor should henceforth desist from using Enugu Youths for business. We will henceforth resist such move aimed at tarnishing the image of the people oriented Government of Enugu State.
“As I type this message, sharing formula has become a problem between the duo as to who will take the lion share of the fund.
“We have as well beamed our searchlight on them to determine how the whole story will end.
“We warn that if Senator Ike Ekweremmadu fails to desist from such venture, we shall organize the mother of all protests in Enugu West to press home our disenchantment.”
He added, “For the past two years, we have been demanding that Senator Ike Ekweremmadu should complete all the abandoned projects he attracted to the good people of Enugu West but till date, nothing has been done about it.
“We are saying #EndAbandonmentOfProjextsInEnuguWest.
“#EndLootingInEnuguWest.
“All this must end with SARS,” the concluded.
When contacted, the Media Adviser to Ekweremadu, Mr. Uche Anichukwu, said in a text message, “I haven’t read the said report, please.”
