President‑elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu has petitioned the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to sanction Channels Television for violating the Nigerian Broadcasting Code during an interview with Labour Party vice‑presidential candidate Datti Baba‑Ahmed. The petition, signed by Bayo Onanuga, Director of Media and Publicity for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, is dated 30 March 2023. Tinubu cites Section 14.0.1 of the 6th edition of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code, which obliges the commission to accept complaints from aggrieved persons, investigate them, and apply sanctions where necessary. He argues that Channels TV breached the code on its programme “Politics Today” last week.
In the interview, Baba‑Ahmed made several remarks that Tinubu claims attacked the integrity of the 25 February 2023 presidential election. He faulted the emergence of the former Lagos governor as president‑elect and urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria and former President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retired) not to swear him in. Tinubu notes that the programme’s host should have cautioned Baba‑Ahmed for these careless comments; for failing to do so, the station should be sanctioned.
The petition excerpts Baba‑Ahmed’s statements: he said President Buhari should not swear in the president‑elect because the latter did not secure 25 % of the vote in the Federal Capital Territory, a prerequisite for being declared the winner. Tinubu describes this as a subversive comment, noting that the issue is already before a tribunal and that, until the court rules otherwise, the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of the final results remains the official position. Baba‑Ahmed also called the INEC certificate of return issued to Tinubu a “dud cheque,” calling it null and void. Tinubu argues that such remarks undermine the authority granted to INEC by the 1999 Constitution, are divisive, subversive, inciting, and inflammatory.
The petition references several sections of the NBC code. Section 3.8.1(b) requires broadcasters to ensure that no programme contains material that subverts constituted authority or compromises the nation’s unity. Baba‑Ahmed’s later comment that “President Buhari should hand over to the president‑elect by 29 May; that would be the end of democracy” is cited as a breach of Section 5.3.3(b), which mandates avoidance of divisive and inflammatory political material. Additionally, Section 3.0.2.1 prohibits broadcasters from encouraging or inciting crime, public hate, disorder, or content repugnant to public feelings that cause disaffection.
Tinubu concludes by urging the NBC to invoke the necessary sanctions on Channels Television for the enumerated breaches.
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