An allegation by the Abia State chapter of the Tinubu Support Group accusing Deputy Governor Ikechukwu Emetu of recruiting and mobilising youths to launch violent attacks on supporters of President Bola Tinubu and All Progressives Congress (APC) members has been dismissed as false, baseless, and entirely unfounded.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Sir Cyril Mba, issued a statement asserting that Emetu has no involvement in recruiting, arming, or organising any group to target political opponents. “The Deputy Governor has expressly stated that he has no involvement whatsoever in recruiting, mobilising, arming or otherwise organising youths to carry out attacks against supporters of President Tinubu, APC members or any other person or group,” the statement noted.
The Deputy Governor’s office challenged the support group and its spokesperson to substantiate the claims by providing evidence to security agencies, including precise details of when and where the alleged meetings occurred, the identities of those recruited, details of weapons, and the context of any statements attributed to Emetu regarding the President or his son, Seyi Tinubu.
“If the Tinubu Support Group or … genuinely possesses information establishing these allegations, they are challenged to make such information available to the appropriate security agencies,” the office urged, calling on the Nigeria Police Force to invite the spokesperson to present his claims.
While indicating his readiness to cooperate fully with any formal investigation, Emetu stressed that he has nothing to fear, but rejected attempts to substitute unsubstantiated political slurs for evidence. “What he rejects is any attempt to substitute unsubstantiated political claims for evidence or to portray legitimate political engagement and mobilisation as preparation for violence,” the statement added.
The statement suggested that political opponents are merely rattled by the Deputy Governor’s expanding grassroots influence and the confidence reposed in him by Governor Alex Otti. It noted that the appropriate response to political influence is persuasion rather than inflammatory fabrications, stressing, “Abia State does not need inflammatory and unsubstantiated allegations. What the State needs is responsible political engagement, respect for the rule of law and evidence-based public discourse.”
Emetu maintained that he remains focused on supporting the Otti administration to deliver its mandate and will continue to engage citizens peacefully through lawful democratic channels as the 2027 general elections approach. When asked about potential further steps regarding the situation, the Deputy Governor simply remarked, “This is the best I will be doing for now.”