The fabrications date far back to pre-2014 general elections where his family was dragged in under the guise of him being a public figure. Some journalists have sworn and are on record expressing their hatred and disrespect towards Cde Boko and even stated that they will not objectively write about him. These unsolicited and sustained attacks on Boko and his party have naturally led to party activists coming out to defend their president as they realise there is no recourse to justice. The media oversights have not restrained these unethical journalists and the message is that wayward behaviour is acceptable. While we admit that Cde Boko is a public figure and therefore subject to public scrutiny, this licence has been grossly abused as he has been insulted, belittled and ridiculed.
There have always been allegations and perceptions that some of these journalists are either spy agents or recipients of brown envelopes. They must be cautioned that the BNF and Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) are on high alert and will jealously guard its integrity and values. It is clear that some of these journalists want to create a negative narrative on Cde Boko so that the public loses confidence in him, the BNF and UDC and to create space for its competitors. This is why the opposition activists have come out in large numbers to defend their president and their parties whom they feel are unfairly treated. This is an election year and the same journalists have openly vowed to de-campaign UDC so that they deny it the inevitable win. However, while encouraging cadres to protect and defend the movement we hasten to discourage and condemn violence, under any circumstance.
