Chime mops up Vanguard in Enugu

Vanguard newspaper was missing from the newsstands in Enugu yesterday following the blanket purchase of yesterday’s edition of the newspaper meant for circulation in the Coal City State.

The entire stock of the newspaper meant for circulation in the city were bought allegedly by alleged agents of the state government.

The action of the authorities in the state was apparently linked to a news feature published yesterday entitled, Enugu 2015: The debacle of parallel leadership.

The story was a focus on the recent travails of the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led by Governor Sullivan Chime arising from that faction’s failure to participate in the November 1, 2014 ward congresses of the party organised by the Elder David Aja-led leadership of the party.

The development in the party, according to the feature piece has led to doubts on the prospects of 2015 election aspirants affiliated to the governor. The seemingly provocative article which was a review of the developments in the state was, however, stopped from mass circulation with the forced purchase of the edition from the newspaper distributors.

Besides yesterday, the newspaper was also forced from the newsstands last Friday, November 21, 2014 which reported stories on Enugu and had a feature, Governors also cry.

The practice of buying up copies of Vanguard with reports perceived not to be favourable to the authorities in the state has been a recurring practise which has brought agony to many newspaper readers in the state.

Yesterday, some readers who brought the newspaper from outside the state were able to make Xeroxed copies of the feature story which sold for as much as N300 in some places in the state capital.

A copy of the newspaper where it was seen sold in some cases for as much as N1,000.00.