Buhari threatens to drag NTA, AIT to court over hate broadcasts

The Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, General Muhammadu Buhari (ret), has threatened to take legal action against the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, and the African Independent Television, AIT, for airing hate broadcasts against his personality.

This came on a day the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, warned all broadcasting stations operating in the country to adhere strictly to the provisions of the broadcasting code or risk sanctions.

In a protest letter lodged through the Legal Director of APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume, SAN, Buhari, insisted that the two television stations must not only retract the “hate documentaries,” but also issue a public apology to him.

He said he would not hesitate to seek legal remedy should the television houses refuse to comply with the conditions.

Besides, the APC candidate said he had already petitioned the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC, and the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, asking them to investigate both NTA and AIT over the hate broadcasts and take necessary punitive actions.

“The hate broadcast has been on from Saturday, January 24, 2015 to Sunday, January 25, 2015, at 11p.m. in AIT,” Buhari noted.

Meanwhile, The National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has warned all broadcasting stations to adhere strictly to the provisions of the broadcasting code or risk sanctions.

The Director-General of the Commission, Mr. Emeka Mba, who issued the warning, said the Commission acknowledged the effort of broadcasting stations were making in lubricating the nation’s political space, but noted that some stations had been operating outside the provisions of the code in a manner that could become counter-productive to the national objectives of peaceful, free and fair elections.

“We are in exciting times. Political campaigns are under way and the nation is agog with politicians campaigning to persuade the electorate to support them, this is how it should, that is the beauty of democracy,” he said.