By: Editor
Following the mayhem unleashed on journalists that covered the All Progressives Congress (APC) Gubernatorial Primaries on 17 February,2024 at the Lushville hotel, Gapiona, GRA Benin, most journalists in the state have opted for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial primaries coverage.
The both parties (the PDP and the APC) are conducting their Primaries on the same day but at different locations in the state.
Some of the Journalists whose opinions were sampled said that they preferred to cover the PDP’s primaries because they don’t want a repeat of their past experiences.
Recall that some journalists were beaten up and their gadgets destroyed by thugs at the Collation Center of the APC Gubernatorial Primaries on the 17 February, 2024 a situation that has compelled the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State council to have given the party a seven day ultimatum to apologize to the union and restore their damaged equipment and failure to do so, would amount to a media war.
The chairman of the council, Comrade Festus Alenkhe, while reading the directives of the national leadership of the union to his members in Benin during a press conference, said that it was a show of shame for Journalists who have the legitimate rights to cover electioneering process to be rough handled.
Comrade Alenkhe read the directives as follows “That the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State council met on the directives of the national leadership and we have resolved as follows, that the NUJ, Edo State council, is fully ready to declare a media war against the All Progressives Congress if the following things are not meant.
“That APC, Edo State is expected to replace all the damaged equipment of Journalists that were covering the event, on the 17 day of February, 2024, pay medical bills of Journalists injured during the attack, apologize to the NUJ at both state and national over the attack where Journalists were being manhandled, and their equipment destroyed, where Journalists were also prevented from carrying out their legitimate duty.
“This, Edo NUJ council described as unacceptable and we condemned this act heavily.
“The Commissioner of Police in Edo State, should help fish out all those who were responsible for the attack and ensure that they are prosecuted because the report says that some of them are very known as they never wore masks
“We want to request very strongly that the management of the hotel where the incident happened, should make available to us the CCTV footage of the incident and this should be made public and also help the police in doing their investigations.
“We want to also call on the management of the hotel to ensure that this footage will be used by us and also being given to the police where some of those who have carried out that act will be arrested and prosecuted.
“Lastly, we want to say that the Edo State election coming up
In September 2024 is not a do-or-die . I therefore direct all journalists to cover the news.
We want to say other parties that want to have their Primaries should ensure adequate security in the various locations, the police, DSS, NSCDC, and other security agencies should ensure the safety of all Journalists
One of the Journalists working with the Arise Television, Abraham Godwin, whose laptop was smashed alleged that all that happened to him at the Collation center of the APC, was done in the presence of the security personnel.
He lamented that non could come to his rescue.
Other journalists also gave their horrible accounts and how they scampered for safety.
