RE: ILF AND DISQUALIFICATION OF DR GODWIN MADUKA

Our attention has been drawn to a campaign of calumny orchestrated by a political group serving narrow and short sighted aims against the person and character of Dr Godwin Maduka. Indeed, it is cheap blackmail for such individual or group to have embarked on such puerile and empty propaganda as their only hope of helping their principal make a dent in the political space by any means possible. Even though we initially chose to ignore them while maintaining candour, moderation and focus, it is necessary that the action that led to this smear and unwarranted campaign be clarified for the undiscerning members of the public so as to put paid to their cobweb of lies.

Dr Godwin Maduka Foundation is a body separate and distinct from Dr Maduka Campaign Organization. The Foundation has had cause to carry out humanitarian interventions over the years, even long before Dr Maduka nursed a political ambition. Dr Maduka is not an emergency or political philanthropist. His records in the world of philanthropy are clear and unambiguous. The Foundation as part of their daily activities host visitors from all walks of life, including indigent members of the society, the sick and the aged, motherless babies, prayer groups, religious leaders and party faithfuls. In their usual character, the Foundation opened their doors to a contingent of party faithfuls and hosted them, giving them stipend for their transport afterwards. For this innocuous initiative by a Foundation whose core mandate is uplifting humanity through giving, the ILF which is a beneficiary of the magnanimity of the Foundation went to town with outright lies meant to malign the image of Dr Maduka, cause disaffection against his person and derail his Campaign Organization. It is the height of crass irresponsibility and politics without principle on their part.

Dr Maduka has been renowned for issue based politics. His thoughts on policies and strategies of governance has been made known widely. His antecedents speaks volumes of his undiminished capacity. He is not called an iroko for nothing. Coming from a space that is adjudged the bastion of democracy where money politics is seriously shunned, he understands clearly the implications and the dangers therein. Needless to say that despite his long sojourn abroad and impressive success level, he has maintained an impeccable and stainless records with law enforcement agencies.

Dr Maduka eats, sleeps and breathes development. Regardless of the fact that Anambra is at the lower rungs of the developmental ladder, he is passionate about changing the narratives and replicating the Umuchukwu miracle on a state wide scale, but he is not desperate about it. Dr Maduka will not sacrifice his values and principles on the altar of political expediency. He maintains an issue based campaign and will not run down on the character of any person just to score some cheap political points. The issues facing the State are too dire and too serious for such trifles. He believes in decency and the people of Anambra will vindicate him. The enormous wealth of Dr Maduka and his willingness to deploy it to charitable and humanitarian causes has never been in doubt. However, reducing his candidacy to money politics smacks of sinister motives and reprehensible politics.

Take money out of the political equation, Dr Maduka’s amazing record as a Harvard trained Medical Doctor and a number one pain management expert in the world, with six hospital operating at full capacity in the US stands him out. Unlike most of his of the aspirants including the principal of ILF who are professional politicians, Dr Maduka is a professional in politics.

We make bold to say that this reprehensible action of the ILF is actually insulting and an infradig on the characters and the personalities that make up the PDP delegates. It is tantamount to calling them hungry and cheap by alleging that they were bought over with a paltry sum. It is an insult and a slap on the face of our great party the PDP.

Many of the delegates are highly successful professionals and businessmen. Insinuating that their loyalties and conscience are for sale is a new low orchestrated by despicable folks who should have no business in politics of our dear State, and we are certain that non of them is taking it lightly. It is a great disservice to the party hierarchy and to the image of the party as it portrays the party as an organization where the highest bidder carries the day, a party whose members’ motivating factor is just intestinal considerations.

Furthermore, we have perused through the length and breadth of the PDP Constitution and not one section states that an aspirant to a political position should be disqualified for being charitable. There are stipulated guidelines for which an aspirant can be disqualified. The shameless folks who run ILF wants Dr Maduka to be disqualified on a ridiculous charge of charity. Obviously, they are afraid of his popularity and the goodwill he enjoys in the minds of the electorate. They want him out of the way so they can lower the bar for political office holders and entrench a culture of low expectations for ndi Anambra.

Nevertheless, we have seen through their antics. We will not be deterred in our resolve to maintain an issue based campaign, keeping our eyes on the goal which is transformation of Anambra’s socio- political economy. We refuse to be drawn into a mud fight with people of questionable integrity. Like Michelle Obama once said, “when they go low, we go high”.

FRIENDS OF DR GODWIN MADUKA IN THE MEDIA