Obi-Datti: Tinubu requests that NBC censure Channels TV

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president-elect, has asked the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to penalise Channels Television for violating the Nigerian Broadcasting Code during an interview with Labour Party vice presidential candidate Datti Baba Ahmed.

In a petition dated March 30, 2023, and signed by Bayo Onanuga, director of media and publicity for the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential campaign council, Tinubu stated: “In accordance with Section 14.0.1 of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code 6th edition stating the duty of the commission to accept complaints from aggrieved persons, bodies, or members of the public and investigate as well as apply sanctions where necessary, the APC PCC hereby petitions the commission on breach of the

Baba Ahmed is accused by Tinubu of making various remarks that undermine the credibility of the presidential election on February 25, 2023. He expressly asked the Chief Justice of Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari not to swear in the former governor of Lagos and criticised his election as president-elect.

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Tinubu stated in his appeal that the host of the programme should have warned the Datti about making such unguarded remarks and that the station should be penalised for failing to do so.

As stated in the appeal, “The guest on the aforementioned show, Datti Baba-Ahmed, claimed President Muhammadu Buhari should not swear in the President-elect since he did not score 25% of the vote in the FCT, being one of the requirements for being deemed the victor. Given that this is one of the matters raised in their appeal to the tribunal for resolution, this statement is subversive. Consequently, the status quo is the INEC stance as stated in the final results until the court determines differently.

“The remarks made by the guest Datti Baba Ahmed regarding the victory of the LP in the presidential election undercut the legitimacy of the powers granted to INEC by the 1999 Constitution as the body vested with the authority to conduct and announce the results of the national general elections in Nigeria. Regardless of the numbers, this must be acknowledged as the real one by a court.

Hence, Mr. Datti’s claims that the INEC certificate of return provided to Tinubu is a “dud cheque” and is therefore invalid are not only polarising and subversive but also incendiary.

“Section 3.8.1(b) of the Code stipulates that “A Broadcaster should guarantee that no programming contains anything which amounts to subversion of constituted authority or affects the unity or corporate existence of the nation as a Sovereign state.

“Mr. Datti later said on the same programme that “if President Buhari were to hand over to the President-elect by May 29th, that would be the end of democracy.’ This is another instance of an unguarded statement and a violation of Section 5.3.3(b), which states that ‘A Broadcaster shall avoid divisive and inflammatory matters in its provocative form in using political material.

Moreover, Section 3.0.2.1 stated that no Broadcaster should urge or instigate crime, produce public disorder, hatred, or repulsive to the public sentiments’ items that generate dissatisfaction.

We consequently request that NBC take appropriate action against Channels Television for the violations listed above.