Clampdown on AIT: You can’t stop us from covering your activities -Dokpesi blasts Buhari

Dokpesi

Media
guru and owner of African Independent Television, AIT, a division of
Daar Communications PLC, Raymond Dokpesi, has fired back at
president-elect, Gen Muhammadu Buhari over his recent clampdown on the
TV station.
Dokpesi described Buhari’s action to bar AIT from covering his activities as an attempt to bring back the era of Decree 4.
Speaking
with Premium Times, Dokpesi said Buhari lacks the power to stop the AIT
from covering his activities, as doing so would amount to breaking the
law.
“I
am sure that the President-elect needs to be reminded of Decree 4, and
he should be clearly reminded that section 32 of the constitution makes
it mandatory for the media to hold public officials accountable to the
people,” he said.
He also cited Section 39 of the constitution
which grants Nigerians the freedom of expression and to hold opinion,
insisting that the controversial documentary were factual.
“The
president-elect said that he does not want to be covered by AIT, but
AIT has a responsibility to the Nigerian public to report the things
that are happening,” he said.
“There are three national networks
available for national coverage in Nigeria, the NTA, AIT and
Silverbirds. You cannot stop a foremost private station from reporting
in Nigeria, it brings us back to Decree 4 era.”
Dokpesi
also acknowledged that Gen. Buhari may have taken his decision based on
the documentaries ran by the station during the electioneering
campaign.
“If they had produced their own documentary to say this
is what we want and AIT did not publish it, then that is another
matter,” he said.
“What is obviously very clear is the fact that
AIT believes that the historical information about the President elect
that were ran, were factually correct. Nothing was done to defame him or
impinge on his character or integrity.”
“We take responsibility
for the running of these items and I as an individual is satisfied
because due diligence was followed in ensuring that the things that are
contained were factually right”.
Meanwhile,
The All Progressives Congress had since upturned Buhari’s decision,
saying that the TV station was free to cover the president-elect’s
activities.