The editors of THISDAY and Arise Television have accused
Bayo Onanuga and Dele Alake of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential
campaign council of silencing free and fair journalism.
In a publication on Monday, the news organisations said they
began having issues with the campaign council after publishing a report on the
death of one Mueez Adegboyega Akande, an associate of Bola Tinubu, who was
reportedly mentioned by US authorities in a drug trafficking case in 1993.
THISDAY/Arise editors said in denying the link between the
aforementioned individual and Tinubu, Onanuga, the campaign’s media director,
passed him off as one Kolapo.
“In the light of these continued attacks aimed at bullying
and silencing free and fair journalism we will now set the records straight,”
the publication reads.
“In a statement he
issued on 21 November 2022, Onanuga accused THISDAY of denigrating Kolapo, a
medical doctor and ‘an Accord Party candidate for the House of Representatives
some years back’.
“But a quick internet search showed that the Accord Party
candidate in question was indeed Mueez. Where was Onanuga’s professionalism in
passing off Mueez for Kolapo? Did he verify his story as a journalist of
several decades?”
The media platforms said three online news outlets that
published the campaign poster of Mueez as an Accord Party candidate have since
deleted it from their websites.
The news organisations said the media should not shy away
from scrutinising any candidate that is linked to alleged drug trafficking.
They insisted that Tinubu, standard bearer of the APC, must
provide a satisfactory answer on the circumstances surrounding the forfeiture
of funds to the US government.
“It is a national security question for which all patriots
must seek answers – it goes to the heart of our nascent democracy and indeed
our political stability. We need full and complete answers on the entire
circumstances leading to the forfeiture,” they said.
“We remember the case of Manuel Noriega, the Panamanian
leader who the US helped to put in power between 1983 and 1989, and whose
involvement in drug trafficking later led to the US invasion of Panama, and his
capture, trial and conviction in Miami.
“Nigeria cannot
afford a Noriega moment despite some of the acrobatics of APC spokesmen trying
to make light of forfeiture of funds linked to drug trafficking.
“Have the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the
Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Office of the National Security
Adviser (NSA) investigated this?
“We need their reports and clarity, one way or the other, in
this most important national security question on the 2023 elections with
implications for our democracy.”
THISDAY/Arise editors also accused the Tinubu campaign of
making requests for the removal of Shaka Momodu, THISDAY editor, and Rufai
Oseni, The Morning Show co-host, from their current positions.
The organisations noted that they will continue to provide
fair coverage to the Tinubu campaign despite the “unwarranted attacks”.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com