The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the suspension of the operations of down Badeggi FM by Gov. Umar Bago of Niger State, as undemocratic and an affront on press freedom.
The ADC, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Saturday in Abuja , also described it as an “executive overreach and a disturbing trend.
“This is nothing short of a brazen assault on press freedom and a clear violation of the rule of law in a manner reminiscent of military dictatorship.”
“Under our constitution, no one has the power to truncate these freedoms under any pretext whatsoever,” he said
Mr Abdullahi added that if the said radio station had behaved unethically in any way or had transgressed the limits of free speech, there were provisions in the laws for legitimate redress.
He added that there were also institutions saddled with the responsibility of ensuring compliance.
“Under Section 2(1)(b) of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Act, the power to sanction a radio station rests solely with the NBC—not with any state governor,” he said.
Mr Abdullahi said that for an elected governor to accuse ordinary citizens of the highest crime in the land, which is treason, and then proceed to summarily pronounce them guilty all by himself, was outrageous in every respect.
He added, “The ADC warns that if this act is allowed to stand, it would set a precedent that will further imperil press freedom across the country.
“Today it is Badeggi FM—tomorrow it could be a newspaper, a social media platform, or a journalist asking the “wrong questions.”
Mr Abdullahi advised Bago to unseal Badeggi FM immediately, while calling for an independent probe to be launched into what he described as the misuse of security operatives for political retaliation.
“ Furthermore, the National Assembly must take urgent steps to reinforce the autonomy of the NBC and insulate broadcast regulation from political interference,” Mr Abdullahi said.
(NAN)
