From Fred Itua, Abuja
The African Centre for Justice and Human Rights has condemned a verbal attack on the Deputy Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Ms Adaora Umeoji, by some political actors in Anambra State.
Deputy, Head of Communications, Jasmine Akpeh, said in a statement that the attack was poorly executed and wondered why Ms Umeoji would be dragged into Anambra politics.
The statement reads:
‘Our attention has been drawn to a smear campaign by someone who claims to be one of the financiers of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo campaign. In the piece, filled with spurious speculations, infantile falsehoods, improbable conclusions and crass ignorance of the workings of a bank, the person attempted to smear the Zenith Bank brand and her personality.
‘In the poorly executed job which even a secondary school leaver who read the article would have even observed did not make sense, Zenith Bank, the overall best bank in Nigeria was targeted for a smear. Zenith Bank did not get to where it is today without excellent corporate governance and the adoption of international best practices in all its affairs.
‘The management team of the bank are not mediocre to flout the rules as alleged by the hireling that the bank was using depositors money for politics.
‘It is disheartening that the author of the piece wrote for a former Governor of the Central Bank and who should have known that it was not possible for just one officer in a bank to get access to depositors’ funds and use same for politics.
‘We respectfully call on them to know that smear campaigns against fellow aspirants in the same party cannot help him or the party to win elections. Zenith Bank is an international brand and one ill-bred political hireling cannot bring it down. Politicians only resort to smear campaigns against rivals when they are afraid of losing to such rivals. Fear of possible rejection by delegates is the usual reason for resort to smear attacks.
‘It must be stated that family members of bank officials are free and allowed by law to run for elections or pursue their individual life aspirations. That a brother to the Deputy Managing Director of the Zenith Bank is running for election and is targeted for such attack is a clear signal that the young man is coasting to victory as no one in a race ever turns back to attempt to stop those behind him.’