Babantan et al again! CRUSHING THE REFUGE OF LIES
The Evangelist News edition, February 21, 2023. By Ima Nkanta
God has decreed: “Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.” Isaiah 28:17
Telling lies to contradict, befuddle and demobilize his target is a potent strategy of the devil. Adam and Eve weren’t smart enough to survive this ordeal. God wants us, therefore, as believers to stand guard against the wiles of the devil whose goal is to beguile his target, then steal, kill and destroy whatever God has given him.
Politics isn’t a dirty game but politicians who deploy obscurantic methodologies to beguile the electorates make it dirty and disdainful to saner minds. In the evolving politics of Akwa Ibom Guber race 2023, deploying the machinery of lies and deliberate falsehoods to deceive, confuse and discourage the electorates have become a norm presently by politicians who are hounded by the reality of an ordained pastor becoming the governor of Akwa Ibom State May 29, 2023.
To spellbound, deceive and discourage the electorates from voting the pastor, these politicians have employed scores of adversarial media operatives, furnished apartments for them with modern digital facilities – only job is to cast aspersions on the pastor, tell lies about his person and turn the hearts of his admirers against him.
These messengers of lies are conscripted from amongst the media, judiciary and tech pros.
While you’re clear-mindedly, vigorously and determinedly working for the victory of Pastor Umo Eno come March 11, 2023, these media bandits are busy churning out lies; they prospect for loopholes in the judiciary and spread their dragnets against avaricious judiciary personnel who may help them file one secret order or the other in courts to stampeding Pastor Umo Eno out of the race.
In their strategy sessions, they don’t plan how to woo voters, a source told, they plan how to destabilize the hearts of people, especially Christians, who are sympathic to Pastor Umo Eno (PUE)’s candidacy. Their action plan is; ‘send operatives to the voting units, cunningly but vehemently delude the poorly informed voters that PUE is no more the PDP candidate but Babantan – the Judas Iscariot of PDP.
Unknown to many who woke up last week to see the media space awash with this narrative, these delusional operatives were secretly inducted with this strategy weeks earlier. Some lawyers coniving with these operatives exploit lacunas on any development in courts to give semplance of credibility to their lies.
These adversarial operatives have effectively used lies as a weapon against the administration of Gov. Udom Emmanuel and can also use same against his succession plan and all well-meaning efforts and eminent persons who have stood firm to support the governor’s succession agenda.
For instance, the moment these operatives knew that the church fathers in Akwa Ibom State were backing the governor and his succession plan, they hurried to town with cooked-up a lie that the governor belongs to a certain occult body and has also enrolled his preferred successor into the same occult body.
This lie has gained much traction amongst the political field, such that even pastors who were hitherto, friends of this administration and PUE, have bought into it even when they knew the narrative is a complete falsehood. These pastors, due to financial inducement, have become the mouthpiece of adversarial candidates and their operatives, re-echoing these false narratives in their meetings.
But God isn’t asleep! He charged those who made lies their shield this way: “Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:” Isaiah 28:15
In these unfolding scenarios, what frontal attacks should believers make? Should we sit back in church pews to watch these lies fester? I have had a horde of callers desperately seeking accurate information, especially in the hinterlands where misinformation flourishes.
Believers, let’s make no mistake to think that with internet everyone should be able to check and recheck information! The internet rather makes it more gloomy because of the deluge of fake news jumping at users on daily basis. But keenly interested persons make calls to search out the truth against the labybrinths of deliberate falsehoods.
Should we as a church, as God-fearing people let the devil have a field day churning out despicable lies against PUE? No!
It’s time to rise up and fight for the truth! PUE is a total embodiment of truth.
We must bestir our youths, our women and men to invade the streets, joints and villages to shine the light of true knowledge of who and what PUE represents. Lies left unrefuted will fester like cancer. The time to do this is now!
As we gear down towards the presidential election this weekend, let’s ride on the tide of time and crush the refuge of lies. It is only the truth that can crush this refuge of lies. We must not let the adversarial media operatives advance further. Crush the lies with the hammer of truths.
There’s victory ahead!
