Since his afterthought jumping into Labour Party unprepared to contest for governorship ticket after losing in the PDP governorship primaries, accepted the outcome and pledged support for the PDP governorship candidate, Mr. Peter Mbah, Bar. Chijioke Edeoga's supporters and aggrieved PDP members turned Labourers overnight have made blackmailing, impugning and demonising of Churches, Clergymen and church members in the state their major campaign strategy and mantra for interfacing and honouring PDP leaders' invitations or inviting them to their gatherings.
Worried about the soaring popularity of the PDP and bereft of anything meaningful or tangible to campaign with ahead of the 2023 general elections, apart from Mr. Peter Obi's personality that is not theirs, Edeoga's social media e-rats and few supporters made up of failed and frustrated politicians and journalists turned local warriors mainly from Enugu North Senatorial zone are behind all the social media libelous, malicious and campaign of calumny against Churches, Clergymen and their members since after the PDP primaries that Edeoga and others lost.
They concocted the circulating WhatsApp message titled "Anglican Clergy Reject PDP's 10m Kola." The fabrication which as usual is a figment of their imaginations is part of their stock- in- trade which is cheap social media blackmail.
The Anglican Clergy of Nsukka Diocese had expressed shock and disappointment on the extent Bar. Edeoga and his supporters can go to blackmail them over having ordinary meeting with their brothers in the PDP.
Meanwhile, It has been authoritatively confirmed and revealed that the PDP leaders that had a consultation meeting with Clergymen of Nsukka Anglican Diocese in Nsukka never give any 10million Naira to the clergymen as Kola as being falsely fabricated, peddled and circulated by Edeoga's supporters on WhatsApp and other social media platforms to score cheap political gain that never come.
Investigations revealed that it was the Labour Party leaders and members from Enugu North Senatorial zone, who are supportive of Edeoga's legally encumbered governorship ambition that are behind the fake social media story that Catholic Women Organisation of Nsukka Diocese were bribed with N40 million by the PDP leaders without any evidence to substantiate it. They were also behind the false and fabricated story some weeks ago that Catholic Bishops of Nsukka Diocese had been compromised by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi's administration to support PDP.
Their concocted and malicious social media stories against the churches, especially Catholic and Anglican, their leaders and members since after the PDP primaries and Edeoga's defection to Labour Party have been continous, malicious and libelous.
They have been using different pen names and hiding under the non- strict regulation of the social media platforms to blackmail percieved supporters of the PDP.
According to one of the Labour Party's social media e-rats from Nsukka, "our decision to continue to blackmail and demean Catholic and Anglican clergymen and members from Nsukka Diocese is to pitch them against Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and ensure that they didn't support or vote for the PDP in 2023 general elections in Enugu state.
One of the Anglican Bishops who was at the meeting in Nsukka with the PDP leaders, furiously disclosed that no N10m was given to them as Kola by the PDP leaders that interacted with them at Nsukka.
The Bishop who pleaded anonymity warned that such cheap social media blackmail by Labour Party's candidates, sympathisers and supporters from Enugu North Senatorial zone will not give them victory in the forthcoming elections or deter us from interfacing and interacting with our brothers in PDP.
"We are not averse to interfacing or talking with our people in any party. We have the right to interact and interface with any group in the zone and state. Trying to blackmail or demean us for engaging our PDP brothers in a meeting or dialogue is nonsensical and desperation taken too far. This will be counterproductive for those behind it," the Bishop warned.