By Francis Igbokwe,

A poorly hatched plan to smear the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano went awry midweek when the general public was informed that the photographs of a private jet captured on the tarmac of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu which were earlier published as images of the aircraft the governor had chartered for a trip to Abuja were actually pictures of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s private jet. I was at the Akanu Ibiam Airport in Enugu that morning and witnessed it all.

WILLIE OBIANO

While I waited for my Arik Airline flight to Abuja that morning, I saw the media aide of a former South East governor snapping away with his camera at the parked aircraft. Some eagle-eyed airport security operatives detected and accosted him. A mild drama ensued between him and the operatives, attracting attention but it was quickly resolved. However, moments

later, images of the aircraft flooded the social media from with a story that Obiano had chartered the jet for his trip to Abuja. The story which ran under the heading “Obiano still chartering flights” alleged that Governor Obiano had just flown out of Enugu with 13 aides in the private jet which those of us at the airport at the time could still see parked on the tarmac while governor Obiano waited for the same Arik flight to Abuja in the VIP Lounge.

The story further claimed that Obiano had spent $15,000 to charter the private jet that would take him to a scheduled meeting in Abuja with some northerners then concluded with the usual attacks on the governor’s person and achievements. I was horrified to read that. It suddenly dawned on me that most of the stories I had read on Facebook and elsewhere may have been written by same person.

The dubious story about the private jet was fabricated to create the impression that Obiano was wasting money on chartered flights in the midst of recession. But writer and his sponsors had failed to think this one through and created a terrible mess out of it.

As a journalist from Anambra State, I was horrified to see first-hand and for the first time, the web of lies that the aide to the former governor and his internet boys have been weaving around governor Obiano which I now deeply regret that I had believed all along to be true. I am one of the many Anambrarians who erroneously follow the writer on Facebook thinking

that his stories which are always critical of governor Obiano were factual and true. But I felt gutted and disgusted that morning when I noticed how he had cleverly framed governor Obiano up with a totally false story that was made believable by the fact that the governor was at the airport that morning and that there was a private jet on the tarmac. I felt pity for the governor who has been repeatedly cast in bad light by “clever” people.

Indeed, after watching that sordid airport drama I decided that I would not forgive myself if I failed to write what I saw and share with my fellow Anambrarians and other Nigerians before it is too late. I personally think that the writer and his boys are trying too hard and have gone too far in their efforts to frustrate Obiano’s second term bid. I also think that creating such a controversy over former Vice President Atiku’s aircraft is tasteless and cruel. I learned that the Vice President had landed in Enugu on his way to the 5th Nnamdi Azikiwe Annual Lecture holding in Awka that morning. The former Vice President deserved more respect from his hosts than they had accorded him with the noise over his aeroplane.