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.