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TROUBLE appears not to be over for embattled Channels Television as the Federal Government is said to be considering legal actions against the popular private television station for broadcasting the report that President Umaru Yar'Adua may resign after reshuffling his cabinet.
TROUBLE appears not to be over for embattled Channels Television as the Federal Government is said to be considering legal actions against the popular private television station for broadcasting the report that President Umaru Yar'Adua may resign after reshuffling his cabinet.
Investigations by the Saturday Tribune revealed that after suspending the licence of the station, the government had started contemplating charging the Channels with sedition for airing the news story.
According to our sources, the government's new plan followed the spontaneous condemnation of the clampdown on the station after the broadcast on Wednesday.
It was gathered that the government was shocked by the level of criticism that had come from prominent Nigerians and organisations over the suspension.
The government, we learnt, did not imagine that public sympathy would be so heavy for the television station when the decision to suspend it was considered and announced.
Beyond the criticism, it was also gathered that a lot of powerful people who were sympathetic to the television station had also moved in to make case for the re-opening of the station or at least to reduce the punishment meted out to it.
The powerful individuals, who operated mostly behind the scene were said to have been making progress in their case for the station and that it may not be long before the suspension of the station is reviewed in one way or the other.
According to the sources, another reason why the government started considering the legal option was to prove to the world that it abides by the doctrine of Rule of Law which is the philosophy of the present regime.
In this direction, government was said to have reasoned that the decision of the court on the matter would be more legitimate and acceptable to the public and that, that would equally save the regime from accusation of having acted like a military regime on the matter.