Tinubu Petitions NBC To Sanction Channels TV Over Datti Baba-Ahmed's Comment
Category: Nigeria News
The President-elect, Asíwájú Bola Tinubu, has petitioned the
National Broadcasting Commission NBC, urging it to sanction Channels
Television for allegedly breaching the Nigerian Broadcasting Code.
“In line with Section 14.0.1 of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code 6th
edition stating the duty of the National Broadcasting Commission to accept
complaints from aggrieved persons, bodies or members of the public and
investigate as well as apply sanctions where necessary, the All Progressives
Congress Presidential Campaign Council hereby petitions the Commission on what
it considers breaches by CHANNELS TV last week on its programme ‘Politics
Today’ which airs daily at 7pm on weekdays.” Tinubu said in the petition dated
March 30, 2023.
In the petition signed by the Director, Media and
Publicity, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on behalf of the Special Adviser, Media, Public
Affairs and Communications, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Tinubu accused
the Labor Party, LP, Vice Presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, of making
several incendiary comments impugning the integrity of the February 25, 2023,
presidential elections.
The petition read further: “He (Datto) said
the Labor Party won the elections. This is a fallacy and not correct.
According to the Code, a Broadcaster is liable when his guest is allowed to
make a wild statement that is inaccurate and not based on fact.
”The only factual figures empirically collated as the final result
is the one released by the Independent National Electoral Commission which
placed Labor party as third.
“The guest on the programme in
question Datti Baba -Ahmed said the President of the country Muhammadu Buhari
should not swear in the President -elect because he did not score 25% vote in
the FCT, being one of the prerequisites for being declared winner. This is a
subversive statement since the matter is before the tribunal and is among the
issues submitted in their petition to the courts for adjudication. Therefore
until and unless the court rules otherwise, the status quo is the INEC
position as declared in the final results.
“The guest Datti Baba
Ahmed’s comments about Labor Party winning the presidential vote undermines
constituted authority given to INEC in the 1999 Constitution as the body
vested with the powers to conduct and announce the results of national general
elections in Nigeria.”
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