The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has accused
the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of gagging the press in an attempt
to stop the voices of the opposition from being heard.
The PDP alleged that the APC and its government had
continued to prevent unbiased media coverage of its activities because the
government did not want to be criticised.
The opposition party explained in a statement on Thursday
that its senatorial candidate in Ogun West, Ganiyu Obanibasiri, was already
seated in the studio of a private radio station, Hebron FM Ota, when a phone
call came from agents of the ruling party that the programme be stopped.
According to the statement signed by the PDP spokesman in
Ogun, Akinloye Bankole, those in power had earlier prevented the Olota of Ota, Oba
Adeyemi Obalanlege, from receiving the senatorial candidate in his palace.
The statement read in part: “In the past weeks, we have seen
different forms of emasculation of the electorate and gross resolve at gagging
the press from performing its role of providing unbiased media coverage (as
members of the fourth estate of the realm) for all participating political
parties, especially candidates of our great party, the PDP.
“Just this morning at Hebron 95.9 FM Ota, our party’s
senatorial candidate in Ogun West, High Chief AbdulGaniy Adeleke Dada
Obanibasiri, a renowned Awori son and traditional title holder, honoured the
invite duly extended to him by the station’s management; only to be stopped via
a telephone call from some APC leaders at Ogun government house to the
station’s Head of Programmes, while Obanibasiri was already seated in the
studio.
“Members of the public would recall that the same desperate
people had stopped the Olota of Ota, Oba (Prof.) Abdulkabir Adeyemi Obalanlege
from attending to Obanibasiri when the latter attempted to pay a courtesy call
to his royal father and traditional leader.
“That is how low a desperate despot can go! However, we also
know that no amount of media gagging or intimidation can safe the APC from
electoral defeat.”
While encouraging journalists to discharge their legitimate
duties with all sense of honesty and professionalism, the PDP charged members
of the public to remain resolute in their patriotic determination to rescue
Ogun from the “shackles of the APC maladministration.”
Contacted, the anchor of the programme, Donald Olulana,
confirmed that the programme was called off, but not by the APC or any
government official.
Olulana said the programme was stopped at the instance of
the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for the sake of balance and
objectivity.
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