“Imagine these insecure duo of Onanuga and Alake already threatening the free press when they are seeking our votes. What will they do if Tinubu was elected President? Kill independent media or take their markets over using the power of the state and replacing them with media platforms they control and which kowtow to them?”
Incensed by the recent ceaseless virulent attacks and attempts by the APC Presidential Council’s media handlers on their media outfits, the Boards of Editors of THISDAY/ARISE News have taken a swipe at their “unprofessionalism, recklessness, picayune politics and blackmail’’.
The editors deplored the tactics being used under the guise of handling the media arm of the Bola Tinubu presidential campaigns as an overt act of aggression and undisguised attempt to silence independent media ahead of the 2023 elections.
Pointedly, they chided the Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Bayo Onanuga and the Director, Strategic Communications, Mr Dele Alake of orchestrating violent attacks on free speech that the duo fought for under the late Gen. Sani Abacha junta in 1994.
The editors’ reaction is contained in a joint statement, titled: “Tinubu and THISDAY/ARISE Media Group And The Attack on Free Speech’’, a copy of which was given to Persecondnews in Abuja on Monday.
They noted that the senior journalists have inundated them with at least four separate press statements and interviews in the last three weeks by Onanuga and Alake accusing the media organizations of bias.
“Imagine these insecure duo of Onanuga and Alake already threatening the free press when they are seeking our votes. What will they do if Tinubu was elected President? Kill independent media or take their markets over using the power of the state and replacing them with media platforms they control and which kowtow to them?
“Instead of responding to issues or sending petitions to the organization’s Ombudsman, have variously accused the group of bias against the APC Presidential Candidate, Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“They are wrong. Truth and the pursuit thereof, and the reporting of facts is no bias. The duo has taken unprofessionalism, recklessness, picayune politics and blackmail to a new art form. After their first press statement, we ignored them; but they authored a second statement, which we again ignored, not wanting to insert ourselves into the political discourse.
“But the more we have ignored them the more they have mistaken our silence for cowardice and continued their relentless attacks with virulence, even threatening us with The Nigerian Press Council.“A Press Council that has been completely rejected by the mainstream independent Nigerian media precisely for this reason: misuse and abuse by an incipient dictatorship.
“We also note that two senior APC campaign officials had separately requested that we move THISDAY Editor and columnist, Shaka Momodu, and The Morning Show co-host on ARISE News, Rufai Oseni, from their current positions to stop the attacks or get a reprieve from a future Tinubu presidency.
“The Boards of Editors of THISDAY Newspapers and the ARISE News Channel would like to state without equivocation that we do not fire journalists because of their views.
“Facts are sacred and opinions free’’ is the age-old dictum to which all free-thinking men subscribe. We allow our editors the freedom to air their opinions unfettered and have created The Office of the Ombudsman to take any complaints and discipline any abuse of office by any of our staff members,” the statement published in Monday’s edition of THISDAY said.
While recalling the genesis of the rare “dog-eat-dog’’ situation, the boards observed that the attacks intensified since the publication in the THISDAY edition of November 18, 2022 of the death of one Mueez Adegboyega Akande, a Tinubu associate mentioned as being involved, by US authorities, in a drug trafficking investigation of the APC candidate in 1993.
The editors recalled that the THISDAY report introduced the person that died as Mueez but included a condolence message from the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to the family of Dr. Kolapo Akande.
The statement explained: “Did THISDAY mix up the identity (of two brothers?) We needed to be sure before issuing an apology. We needed to hear from the family. To date, we have not heard from the family. The fact is that mistakes in reporting the death of someone who may not have died is not unusual in the media.
“But then a quick statement from the family of the person so reported having died, as happened when the media mistakenly reported the death of the late nationalist and past President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, in the ‘90s, would have quickly laid the matter to rest.
“Most newspapers, including the national television stations (Except THISDAY) made the error and was quickly corrected. THISDAY later became the first newspaper on May 12, 1996, to exclusively break the true story of the passing of Nnamdi Azikiwe.’’
According to the editors, Mueez has since the publication of the story not disowned the THISDAY report that he was not dead or has any of his family members.
“We find it curious that it was the APC Presidential Campaign Council that would issue a statement that the person that died was Kolapo, not Mueez.In a statement he issued on 21 November 2022, Onanuga had accused THISDAY of denigrating Kolapo, a medical doctor and “an Accord Party candidate for the House of Representatives some years back”.
But a quick internet search showed that the Accord Party candidate in question was indeed Mueez, not Kolapo.“Where was Onanuga’s professionalism in passing off Mueez for Kolapo? Did he verify his story as a journalist of several decades? Strangely, the trio of naijanews.com, sarconnectmedia.com, and kossyderrickent.com, which highlighted the poster in an internet search outline, has since deleted it on their websites.
“What a curious coincidence! Perhaps, Onanuga, the self-assigned publicist of the Akandes, may wish to clarify this. He should also clarify his relationship and the relationship of the APC PCC with the Akandes and why they would issue a statement on behalf of the family.
“Or better still, get Mueez Akande to step out, so we can close this matter. We note that the APC campaign council is riled by our report on Akande’s death.’’
On the alleged drug investigation of Tinubu while in Chicago, U.S., the editors noted, with documents already in the public domain about Tinubu’s fund’s forfeiture over drug investigation in the United States of America, it was important to state that for national security, foreign policy, and national interest, any candidate aspiring to be the president of Nigeria should not shy away from media scrutiny concerning any link with drug trafficking, or be associated with anyone so involved, however tangentially.
It was a national security question for which all patriots must seek answers, it goes to the heart of the country’s nascent democracy and indeed its political stability, the statement stressed, demanding full and complete answers on the entire circumstances leading to the forfeiture.
Again recalling the case of Manuel Noriega, the Panamanian leader who the US helped to put in power between 1983 and 1989, and whose involvement in drug trafficking later led to the US invasion of Panama, and his capture, trial and conviction in Miami, the editors warned: `Nigeria cannot afford a Noriega moment despite some of the acrobatics of APC spokesmen trying to make light of forfeiture of funds linked to drug trafficking.
“Have the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) investigated this?
“We need their reports and clarity, one way or the other, in this most important national security question on the 2023 elections with implications for our democracy.’’
The ARISE News/THISDAY, however, assured that in spite the unwarranted attacks by Onanuga and Alake, they would continue to give fair and robust coverage to all political parties including the APC, the PCC, and the Tinubu campaign organization.
Recalling the profound words of Othman Dan Fodio, “Conscience is an Open Wound, Only Truth Can Heal It”, the editors said: “We will continue to be open, unbiased and professional. However, we will not be intimidated by the bullying tactics of some APC campaign officials.
As Michelle Obama said in response to Donald Trump, when ‘they (Onanuga and Alake) go low, we go high’, for the greater good of journalism and Nigeria.“A journalism that holds leaders accountable to the people by always telling truth to power.’’
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