Why Tinubu wants Channels TV sanctioned

The President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has petitioned the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to sanction Channels Television for allegedly breaching the Nigerian Broadcasting Code (NBC) during an interview with the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Datti Baba-Ahmed.

Baba-Ahmed had during an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, March 22, claimed that Nigeria has no president-elect given the irregularities and breach of the Electoral Act, 2022, and Constitution of Nigeria in Tinubu’s declaration as the winner of the February 25 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He alleged that the Certificate of Return issued to Tinubu was a dead certificate as it was against the provisions of Section 134 of the 1999 Constitution, which states that anybody that would be declared president-elect must win 25 per cent of votes cast in at least two-thirds of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He added that swearing in Tinubu as President is “ending democracy” and a clear violation of the 1999 constitution.

The petition dated March 30, 2023, was issued, and signed by the Director of Media and Publicity of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), Bayo Onanuga.

According to the petition, Baba-Ahmed lied about his party winning the February 25 presidential election, noting that a Broadcaster is held liable based on the code when his guest is allowed to make a wild statement that is inaccurate.

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The petition reads: “In line with Section 14.0.1 of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code 6th edition stating the duty of the National Broadcasting Commission to accept complaints from aggrieved persons, bodies or members of the public and investigate as well as apply sanctions where necessary, the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council hereby petitions the Commission on what it considers breaches by CHANNELS TV last week on its programme ‘Politics Today’ which airs daily at 7pm on weekdays.

“He (Datti) said the Labour Party won the elections. This is a fallacy and not correct. According to the Code, a Broadcaster is liable when his guest is allowed to make a wild statement that is inaccurate and not based on fact.

”The only factual figures empirically collated as the final result is the one released by the Independent National Electoral Commission which placed Labour party as third.

“The guest on the programme in question Datti Baba -Ahmed said the President of the country Muhammadu Buhari should not swear in the President -elect because he did not score 25% vote in the FCT, being one of the prerequisites for being declared winner. This is a subversive statement since the matter is before the tribunal and is among the issues submitted in their petition to the courts for adjudication. Therefore until and unless the court rules otherwise, the status quo is the INEC position as declared in the final results

“The guest Datti Baba Ahmed’s comments about Labour Party winning the presidential vote undermines constituted authority given to INEC in the 1999 Constitution as the body vested with the powers to conduct and announce the results of national general elections in Nigeria.”

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