Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect, has petitioned the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to sanction Channels Television for violating the Nigerian Broadcasting Code during an interview with the Labour Party’s Vice Presidential candidate, Datti Baba Ahmed.
Tinubu stated in the petition, signed by the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential campaign council Director of Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, dated 30th March 2023: “In accordance with Section 14.0.1 of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code 6th edition stating the duty of the commission to accept complaints from aggrieved persons, bodies, or members of the public and investigate as well as apply sanctions where necessary, the APC PCC hereby petitions the commission on breach of contract.”
Tinubu accused Baba Ahmed of disparaging the integrity of the presidential elections on February 25, 2023. In the interview, he criticised the former Lagos governor’s election as President-elect and emphatically asked the Chief Justice of Nigeria and President Muhamadu Buhari not to swear him in.
Tinubu stated in his petition that the show’s host should have cautioned Datti for making such unguarded comments, and that the station should be sanctioned for failing to do so.
The guest on the programme in question, Datti Baba-Ahmed, said President Muhammadu Buhari should not swear in the President-elect because he did not receive 25% of the vote in the FCT, which is one of the prerequisites for being declared the winner,” according to the petition. This is a subversive remark because the matter is one of the issues raised in their petition to the tribunal for adjudication. As a result, until the court rules differently, the status quo is the INEC position as stated in the final results.
“The guest Datti Baba Ahmed’s comments about the LP winning the presidential vote undermine INEC’s constitutional authority as the body vested with the powers to conduct and announce national general elections results in Nigeria.” A tribunal will have to certify this as the authentic one, regardless of the figures.
“As a result, Mr Datti’s claims that Tinubu’s INEC certificate of return is a “dud cheque” and is null and void are not only divisive and subversive, but also inciting and inflammatory.”
“The Code states in Section 3.8.1(b) that “a Broadcaster shall ensure that no programme contains anything that amounts to subversion of constituted authority or compromises the nation’s unity or corporate existence as a Sovereign state.”
”The comment by Mr Datti later on the same programme that if ‘President Buhari should hand over to the President-elect by 29th May, that would be the end of democracy’ is another case of unguarded statement and breach of Section 5.3.3(b), which states that – ‘A Broadcaster shall avoid divisive and inflammatory matters in its provocative form in using political material’.
“Furthermore, Section 3.0.2.1 stated that no Broadcaster shall encourage or incite crime, lead to public hatred, disorder, or materials repugnant to public feelings.”
“As a result, we urge NBC to impose the appropriate sanctions on Channels Television for the aforementioned violations.”
