By Felix Oti Awka
Chief Press secretary to the Governor of Anambra State, Christian Aburime has debunked the trending video of Prof Charles Soludo being redirected by the protocol officers at the inauguration box of the Eagle Square on Monday.
Clearing the air on the matter in a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday in Awka, Aburime maintained that the State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo was not bounced nor disrespected in the presidential Inauguration held in Abuja.
He rather described the incident as a simple protocol clarification by the uniformed protocol officer, who he said, was courteously redirecting the Governor to his rightful wing of the VVIP seating section at the event.
He further noted that the trending video was the handi work of mischief makers and unscrupulous propagandists who seize every opportunity to denigrate the person of Mr Governor, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo.
The statement reads in part,“it would appear as if some arm-chair critics are either so hopelessly jobless or so steeped in irredeemable cynicism that they have turned cyber stalkers of Governor Soludo to smear him at every turn. Or could it be a case of pathological obsession of deranged minds in need of psychiatric attention?
“If not, one wonders why a nondescript busybody who sat in his closet somewhere unknown watching TV transmission of yesterday’s presidential inauguration at Eagle Square, Abuja decided to conjure an imaginary ‘bouncing’ of an officially invited State Governor!”
He wondered why the interaction between a Governor and protocol officers should be the only thing that cut the fancy of the individual.
Said he, “Amid the ceremonies attending the swearing-in of President Bola Tinubu and his Vice President being viewed on TV by millions of people, a minor harmless interaction between a protocols officer and Governor Soludo was what a faceless individual in closet decided to record and post on social media, childishly parroting “Dem don bounce Governor Soludo ooo…”. How ridiculous! The faceless video poster only saw on TV an interaction without hearing the conversation, yet rushed to a jaundiced conclusion and posted the recorded footage on social media.
“The video in question quickly gained traction, fueling speculations and misrepresentation of what actually happened. Soludo was neither bounced nor disrespected, contrary to the impression created by the circulated video.
“What occurred was just a simple protocols clarification by the gesticulating uniformed protocols officer, courteously redirecting the Governor to his rightful wing of the VVIP seating section at the event. Where great and eminent Nigerians like Dangote, Tony Elumelu, Oni of Ife, Godwin Emefiele, Service Chiefs, Captains of Industry, Governor Hope Uzodimma, etc were already seated.
“Our new President is someone who values talents and recognises the invaluable economic advisory inputs that a technocrat like Prof. Soludo can still offer Nigeria with his vast experience. Why then would the Governor be bounced or disrespected? It never happened.
“The Governor was accorded all the respect and protocols that are befitting of his position beyond what was recorded in the isolated video incident.
“We understand that in the age of social media, misinformation can spread rapidly, causing harm to the reputation of public figures. However, it is crucial that we exercise caution and verify the authenticity of information before drawing conclusions or sharing it further,” he advised.