The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, APC-PCC, has petitioned the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, over alleged breaches of broadcasting code by Channels Television over the interview session with vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the last election, Datti Baba Ahmed.
In the petition signed by its Director, Media and Publicity, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the campaign council called on the NBC to sanction Channels Television.
It alleged that during the interview on Channels Television, the guest, Datti Baba-Ahmed was not only provocative in his utterances, but inciting the public and Labour Party followers to delegitimize the outcome of the February 25 presidential election won by the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
It stated that largely, the assertions by Baba-Ahmed during the interview were not based on truth and hence a violation of the code of the NBC.
The request for NBC’s sanction against Channels Television reads: “It is our considered opinion that the guest Datti Baba-Ahmed was not only provocative but also inciting the public and the Labour Party followers to delegitimize the outcome of the elections but also propagate resistance against the incoming duly elected administration of Bola Ahmed-Tinubu and Kashim Shettima.
“We therefore urge the Commission to invoke the necessary sanctions on CHANNELS TV for the breaches enumerated above.”
The campaign council pointed out the false and offensive comments by Datti Baba-Ahmed in the interview as including the claim that Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi, won the presidential election; that Buhari should not swear in the President-elect, Tinubu, because he did not score 25% vote in the Federal Capital Territory.
It said some of the statement of the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party were in violation of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code 6th edition, hence deserved to be acted upon.
The campaign council argued that “In asking the President not to swear in the President-elect he is subverting the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s constitutionally guaranteed authority.”
It argued further that “In using words like ‘handing over to the President-elect Baba Ahmed Tinubu will be the end of democracy’ he is not only promoting a threat but instigating a call to rebellion against the state.”
Giving reason why Channels should be sanctioned, the campaign council said, “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 Labour Party as third.”
