The Pastor Ize-Iyamu Campaign organisation yesterday asked the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to sanction all the Federal media organisations in Edo state for rejecting PDP news reports and advert jingles.
The organisation, in a statement signed by Mr Efe Igbinovia, said it was aware that the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, Radio Nigeria and the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN in Edo state are acting on the orders handed down by the Minister for Information Alhaji Lai Muhammad.
Efe Igbinovia said that it is ironic that these media houses which are operated by the Federal government, established for Nigerians in the public interest and funded with tax payers monies can be issued with such orders.
He said, “It Is a shame that while he was in opposition prior to the 2015 General elections, this same Muhammad criticized and vilified some media organisations who he claimed were not sympathetic to the APC cause”.
The campaign organization said it is on record that there was no time in the past when the PDP federal government ordered any media to reject APC jingles or news reports.
He referred to the situation in the state where even before the commencement of campaigns for the governorship election, the state government had similarly ordered the state broadcasting station, Edo Broadcasting Service to reject PDP reports.
Igbinovia said that in democratic climes outside Nigeria all parties have a right to unfettered access and the same amount of airtime especially when elections are taking place.
He warned that the campaign organization would be forced to seek redress from International Media monitoring groups if the unwarranted and provocative trend is not curbed.
