By Rayyanu Bala
From any perspective negative propaganda is not something to be proud of, regardless of who is targeted by it. Negative propaganda is capable of not only tarnishing one’s reputation but also of sending the whole nation into war. The history of all wars the world experienced in the past is a product of negative propaganda. The first and second world wars are no exception. Wars are fought not only with men and weapons but with the most dangerous weapon which is propaganda, be it positive or negative.
Since the declaration by INEC of Engr Abdullahi Sule as winner of the 2023 governorship election in Nasarawa, there seems to be systematic negative propaganda being waged against his government. The media, especially mainstream, have been showing unfriendly postures towards the administration. Hardly a day passes by without reading one negative story or another on the pages of these media outlets. In fact, their relations with government, despite all the gestures from the government, has been one of hostility. The government of Engr. Abdullahi Sule has always been good and kind to the media, and instead of a ceasefire, we only experience the escalation of hostilities.
Before the 2023 election, there were certain categories of people in Nasarawa State who vowed not to allow Engr. Sule to return as governor of Nasarawa State for no other reason than his faith. To them, it is high time somebody from another faith got elected as governor. The media in Nasarawa State, for some mischievous reasons, bought these hook, line and sinker. They did not take into consideration the fact that the media are supposed to be impartial in their reporting.
Any news, regardless of its positivism, must be made to look negative, at least to give the administration a bad name; this scenario has been in action in the media circle in Nasarawa State all this while. The judgment of the election petition tribunal, which nullified the election of Engr. Sule by a split decision of 2 against 1, further gave these media added alibi to intensify their negative propaganda against Engr. Sule aimed at portraying his administration as unpopular.
Day in and day out, the commentaries were that for a long time, governorship elections in Nasarawa State were won through rigging, and that the tribunal judgment had at last exposed the machinations that surrounded the election of governors in Nasarawa State. The jubilations surrounding the tribunal judgment were so overwhelming (in the camp of those wishing to push Engr. Sule aside on account of his faith) to the extent that they couldn’t even hide their plans if they eventually take full control of government in the state. Utterances such as “We shall dethrone this and that or dismiss this and that” rented the air uncontrollably. Indeed, the implications of these utterances are so grave that every right-thinking individual would not like to see them come to fruition, not even in a dream.
Happily, the Appeal Court judgment, which affirmed Engr. Sule’s victory at the election, freed the state from the anxiety of what would befall it in the event of losing the appeal. While many are delighted with the Appeal Court verdict, some, on the other hand, were left in a state of disillusionment because their dream of ‘dethroning this and that or dismissing this and that’ was not going to be realized. The Supreme Court judgment, which upheld the Appeal Court judgment, finally nailed the coffin of their destructive wish. “We shall dethrone this and that or dismiss this and that” ended up being a wishful thought.

As was expected, these gang of wishful thinkers took to the streets protesting the Supreme Court verdict but the security personnel were very much handy and within a twinkle of an eye the whole situation was brought under full control with a number of arrests, but some media outfits instead of reporting the news at it is, they just resorted to what they were known for- negative propaganda. So the next day, screaming headlines such as: “Nasarawa boils following S/Court judgment; S/Court Judgment: Violent protest erupts in Nasarawa”, etc adorned front pages of some these newspapers.
Negative propaganda by the media has been the order of the day in the state, right from the commencement of the election tribunal down to appeals and finally the Supreme Court. And this propaganda was all geared towards creating disunity amongst the good people of Nasarawa State. It is a truism that there are some people in the state, alongside their media collaborators, who are hell-bent on causing serious fractures using religion and ethnicity as potent weapons. As said earlier on, their dreams day in and day out are to see Nasarawa state not enjoy the peace it is enjoying, owing mainly to their inability to wrestle power from Engr. Abdullahi Sule, whose only fault is the faith he professes.

Engr. Abdullahi Sule has publicly acknowledged the existence of this group of people who do not wish anything good for the state. Though he said he forgives them, there is a need for vigilance to forestall any future occurrences.
In all the visitations he received to congratulate him over his Supreme Court victory, he was quoted as expressing his disgust over the amount of opposition he faced before, during, and after the judgment. As a man with a good , he said he forgives all that stood in his way. It is therefore high time we learn to understand and appreciate our differences; let’s not allow politics to divide us. As for the media, we must reevaluate ourselves and keep in mind that we have a social responsibility to report the truth and nothing but the truth. We must strive to be responsible.