The Imo State chapter of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the ban of the ThisDay and
Vanguard correspondents from covering the Imo State Government House activities
as undemocratic and excessively harsh.
The state Governor, Rochas
Okorocha, had reportedly on Saturday during an interactive session with
reporters announced the ban of Amby Uneze of ThisDay newspaper and Chidi
Nkwopara of Vanguard newspaper on the allegation that the journalists did not
like him.
The PDP Publicity Secretary in Imo
State, Damian Opara, in a statement issued on Wednesday, described the
governor’s action as stifling press freedom in the state.
The statement read, “The Peoples
Democratic Party, Imo State Executive Council after a very careful and
painstaking review of the purported ban in an emergency meeting, views the ban
as a breach of the constitutional rights of the journalists and hereby condemn
the action of Governor Rochas Okorocha in its totality.
“One of the tenets of any
democracy is the freedom of information and this must be respected by all
segments of the government in Imo State. The purported ban of the two
journalists from carrying out their legitimate duties is to show the whole
world how the governor is becoming increasingly intolerant of opposing views to
his draconian style of governance.”
The party alleged that the
governor was becoming “increasingly intolerant of truth and opposing views,”
adding that the governor’s action could only be welcomed in a military regime.
“The APC government of Imo State
under Governor Rochas Okorocha has done so much harm to the people of Imo State
and has completely lost popularity and sympathy of the people, through his
maladministration should not transfer his aggressions to innocent journalists
who are carrying out their constitutional duties in Imo State,” it said.
According to the statement, The
ThisDay and Vanguard correspondents were not responsible for the dwindling
image of Governor Okorocha, which is self-inflicted due to the many failed
promises he made to the Imo people.
“The PDP hereby call on Governor
Okorocha to allow these journalists to do their legitimate duties as they are
not the Eke-Ukwu Owerri market women and other artisans in Imo State whose
livelihood have been destroyed by his questionable urban renewal policy,” the
party said.
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