PRESS RELEASE

“Since I no longer expect anything from mankind except madness, meanness, and mendacity; egotism, cowardice, and self-delusion, I have stopped being a misanthrope.”

This thought by Irving Layton, which tells more about man’s inhumanity to man- which is worse than nature’s cruelty- best explains my disposition on the recent mendacity and series of physical attacks on my person by surrogates and appendages of Obong Bassey Albert Akpan, a gubernatorial aspirant in Akwa Ibom State, which operationalized in three dimension.

First, these political turncoats and belligerents have written a plethora of petitions to my Church, The African Church against me, to the effect that I should be sanctioned for holding a political views. They however, know little about the covering law of the Church, which allows service to humanity- which includes state building and community service that I’m saddled with, and committed to.

Secondly and more worrisome, is the threat to my life, which supporters of OBA have adopted as an instrumentality to nip my campaign of truth and peace in the bud. In this regard, having received several threat messages and experienced physical assaults from these agents of doom, I elected to file a petition to the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, demanding that these men and their sponsors be brought to book, before our dear state is turned to another pool of blood and a den of insecurity.

It was in consideration of these that Dante Alighieri, an Italian Poet and Philosopher, noted that, “the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality.”I therefore, consider it apposite to let my family, friends, congregants and the general public be aware of the nefarious brigandage of these men and it’s impact on my fundamental right to life, as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, Section 33 (1), which states inter alia: “every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria”.

Thirdly, the last approach by these political renegades is cloning of my social media account with the aim of maligning my image and impugning my earned reputation. It won’t be surprising for members of the public to receive strange, threatening and malicious messages from a masqueraded account.

To this end, while I’m making concerted endeavors to secure my social media handles, the subterfuges of these obscurantists should be brought to light, in order to deter other innocent members of the public from falling prey.

Finally, Rev'd Richard Peters represents peace, in its entirety. My motivation emanates from the thought, insight and actions of the prophets of old in the Bible, such as Moses, Isaiah and Elijah, who stood against injustice and immorality in Isreal. Thus, I’m committed to upholding every tenet and attendant of truth, which Governor Udom Emmanuel represents- towards the enthronement of a just and egalitarian social order in Akwa Ibom State. This would curtail the mendacity of mean- spirited misanthropes in our dear state!

Rev. Richard Peters
Priest and Good Governance Advocate
14042022