By Dr. Collins Ogbu, SSA to the Governor of Enugu State on Strategic Communications
Story! Story!!
Story!!!
Once Upon A Time?!
Time! Time!!
(Get some popcorn)
Among the most enduring folktales in Igbo cosmology is the story of the tortoise - clever in appearance, smooth in speech, but often treacherous in intent. It is a story that perfectly captures the contradictions of today’s politics in Enugu State.
The tale tells of a devastating famine that struck the animal kingdom. Hunger became so severe that every known source of food dried up. Faced with extinction, the animals convened an emergency meeting and reached a heartbreaking decision: to preserve their species, they would sacrifice their mothers for food.
The dog was devastated by the resolution because of the deep love he had for his mother. Rather than surrender her to death, he secretly hid her in the sky. Every day, he would go to a particular location, sing a special song, and his mother would lower a rope from the heavens. The dog would climb up and find abundant food waiting for him.
One day, the tortoise stumbled upon the dog during this sacred ritual. Characteristically cunning, he hid and watched carefully. He memorised the song. He observed the rope. He studied the process.
The next day, the tortoise returned to the same location. Mimicking the dog’s voice, he sang the same song, hoping to fraudulently gain access to what he neither laboured for nor deserved. The rope descended and tortoise began climbing.
As fate would have it, the dog arrived and immediately realised what was happening. He quickly sang to his mother that an impostor was on the rope and instructed her to cut it. The mother obeyed. The rope snapped. The tortoise crashed violently to the ground, shattering his shell into countless pieces. Though he later glued the fragments together, the scars remained forever visible.
That story mirrors the current political reality in Enugu.
Today, there are political actors who spend their days on social media manufacturing outrage, spreading falsehoods, and weaponising propaganda against Governor Peter Mbah. They posture as defenders of the people while secretly craving access to the same development they publicly demonise. They mock projects they wish they had initiated. They condemn progress they privately admire. Like the tortoise, they disguise themselves as voices of public conscience while plotting to hijack the goodwill built through genuine governance.
These political merchants of deception have found fertile ground in online spaces where noise is often mistaken for popularity. Their strategy is simple: dominate comment sections, manufacture narratives of dissatisfaction, and create the illusion that Enugu people are angry. Every completed road is dismissed. Every new school is trivialised. Every healthcare intervention is attacked. Every investment breakthrough is questioned.
Yet reality has a way of humiliating propaganda.
That reality came crashing down on Saturday at the Nsukka Township Stadium when Enugu North Senatorial District delivered one of the biggest political gatherings in recent memory; a thunderous grassroots endorsement rally for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Peter Mbah.
What happened in Nsukka was not social media choreography. It was not rented outrage. It was not manufactured digital activism. It was raw, organic, grassroots political energy.
From Nsukka, Igbo-Eze North, Igbo-Eze South, Udenu, Uzo-Uwani, and Igbo-Etiti, thousands of stakeholders, traditional rulers, market leaders, youth groups, women organisations, political leaders, professionals, and ordinary citizens converged in one voice: continuity.
The crowd was so massive that it instantly exposed the emptiness of opposition propaganda. While a handful of online critics were busy tweeting insults and writing pessimistic Facebook posts from the comfort of their devices, real voters were physically present in their thousands making a powerful statement about where they truly stand.
And they did not come empty-handed.
In one of the strongest demonstrations of political commitment ever witnessed in the zone, Nsukka stakeholders presented a staggering N102 million cheque to Governor Mbah for his reelection nomination form.
That gesture was deeply symbolic. People do not invest such resources in failure.
Communities do not contribute money to leaders they do not trust.
Citizens do not voluntarily rally behind governments that have not impacted their lives.
Their reasons were visible.
They pointed to the ongoing dualisation of the Enugu-Opi-Nsukka Road; one of the most strategic transport corridors in the South East.
They pointed to the 102 Smart Green Schools currently under construction across communities.
They pointed to the 102 Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres spread across wards.
They pointed to the transformation of University of Nigeria, Nsukka through the historic appointment of Professor Simon Ortuanya as the first indigenous Vice Chancellor from Nsukka in 65 years.
They pointed to improved security architecture and the stoppage of the Monday sit-at-home culture.
They pointed to aggressive rural road expansion.
And Governor Mbah gave them even more reasons to believe.
Earlier that same day, he flagged off the massive 52.2km Nguru-Lejja-Aku-Akpakume-Nze-Egede-Affa-Eke Road, while noting that additional adjoining road projects push total road interventions in the axis close to 70 kilometres.
This was not politics of grammar.
This was infrastructure politics.
This was measurable governance.
This was visible leadership.
Governor Mbah went further by unveiling his vision to transform Nsukka from a mere senatorial district into a major economic engine of the new Enugu economy.
He announced plans for a 135.5km rail project that will connect Ugwuoba, 9th Mile, Enugu metropolis, Nsukka, and Obollo Afor—an ambitious economic integration strategy that would radically transform movement of goods and services.
He also addressed concerns surrounding Ogige Market, explaining that the remodelling effort was designed to prevent avoidable disasters and improve safety conditions. Beyond explanations, he promised affected traders seed capital to restart and stabilise their businesses.
That is what leadership looks like: difficult decisions backed by compassion.
Meanwhile, the endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was equally anchored on tangible outcomes.
Stakeholders cited the resumed construction of the Oturkpo–Obollo Afor–9th Mile road.
They referenced accelerated work on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
They acknowledged progress on the Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway.
They praised the concession of Akanu Ibiam International Airport.
They applauded the creation of the South East Development Commission.
They welcomed federal moves to accelerate the Port Harcourt-Enugu rail line.
And they recognised strategic federal appointments given to sons and daughters of Enugu State.
These were not emotional endorsements. They were evidence-based endorsements.
And that is precisely why opposition figures who survive on online sensationalism are deeply unsettled. Their greatest frustration is that real people are experiencing real development.
The trader whose goods now move faster on improved roads cannot be deceived.
The parent whose child will attend a smart school cannot be manipulated.
The patient who accesses improved healthcare cannot be gaslighted.
The commuter who uses better transport infrastructure cannot be lied to.
The youth who sees expanding economic opportunities cannot be fooled by recycled bitterness.
Like the tortoise in the folktale, opposition actors thought they could imitate the voice of the people while secretly climbing the rope of public trust built by others.
But Enugu people have become wiser.
They know the difference between performance and propaganda. They know the difference between governance and grandstanding. They know the difference between builders and bitter critics.
And just like the tortoise whose fraudulent climb ended in disgrace, those attempting to weaponise online hooliganism against genuine grassroots popularity may soon discover that social media noise cannot replace public trust.
The Nsukka rally was more than a political event.
It was a referendum.
It was a declaration.
It was a warning to merchants of deception.
And above all, it was proof that while opposition figures may trend online for a few hours, Governor Peter Mbah continues to trend where it matters most; in the hearts of the people and on the ground where elections are truly won.
