AS RADIO NIGERIA, OWERRI SPREADS FALSEHOOD A friend with whom I drove to the INEC office, Owerri yesterday called my attention to an announcement being broadcast by Radio Nigeria, Heartland FM, Owerri to the effect that the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives is topping the list of candidates whose names were pasted by the INEC as having being submitted by their various Parties to contest the governorship election coming up in February. I tuned in immediately to the station to confirm what I was told. These observations got me doubting the authenticity of the information 1. The so called press release was not signed by anybody. 2. The broadcaster was obviously doing a hatchet mans job and was in a haste to deliver, hence, he presumably went on air without a prepared script. This suspicion is based on the fact that for over ten times the press release was read out, the broadcaster was not able to repeat the exact words he used in previous announcements. 3. The broadcaster who aired that release was obviously careful not to be caught in the web of press rules, hence, he made that broadcast up to five times before summoning the courage to credit it to INEC. However, he did not state who in INEC signed the press release. 4. In his last announcement before the 4:00 network news, the broadcaster promised us that the information will be contained in a subsequent news bulletin. 5. In the network news, the newscaster deviated from the press release falsehood and instead credited her source of information to an unnamed Radio Nigeria staff, who went to the INEC office in Owerri. I am aware that the press has its rules of engagement which must be seriously adhered to, however, when a journalist or some group of journalists working with a reputable media platform as influential as Radio Nigeria allows the contents of brown envelopes or some relationships with some individuals to determine what news they churn out to the public, then, there is a serious problem. It is bad that the Ihedioha Campaign Organization has resorted to black market routes in conveying its information, instead of going through the right channels. When it came to the issue of the PDP releasing information, on who its candidate is in the State, they circumvented the NWC, whose duty it is to release such information,and hoodwinked the compromised State Caretaker Executive council of the Party to make releases that should have come from the NWC. Let me inform Imolites and the entire Nigeria, that the information I have from credible sources within the INEC in Imo State makes it clear that what I saw yesterday at the INEC office is still unchanged. And that is that the PDP in Imo State is yet to have any candidate for the governorship election. These trying times reveal the true characters of those who seek to govern us, and we must be careful not to allow desperate politicians, who can go to any length to subvert the law and due process to govern us. IMO GA ADI MMA OZO!
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 16:11:21 +0000
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