APC kicks as Arise TV defends live coverage of Tinubu at NESG event

Bayo Onanuga, director of media and publicity of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has accused Arise TV of secretly live streaming an event featuring Bola Tinubu, APC standard bearer. 

Tinubu was hosted as a speaker at a dialogue organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) on Friday.

Onanuga said the Arise TV cameraman was sent out of the event hall due to the non-authorisation of live streaming by the organisers of the event.

“Arise TV cameraman clandestinely streamed live Asíwájú Bola Tinubu’s event in Lagos today. He was not authorized by anyone. He was clearly on espionage, but was busted and sent out. Is journalism by stealth part of the practice by Arise News?” Onanuga wrote in a tweet on Friday.

While the tweet was followed by mixed reactions, Onanuga, in another tweet, said the event was to be recorded and aired at a later date.

“For clarity, the Tinubu-Shettima campaign is not against Arise TV covering its events. The Lagos NESG dialogue was not meant for TV live coverage,” he said.

“It was to be recorded and shown later. Other TV houses did not breach the rule, except Arise News. And it was done by stealth. Why?”

‘LIVE STREAMING PART OF INTERNAL POLICY’

Responding, Yemi Ajayi, Arise TV’s news director, said live streaming of engagements of leading presidential candidates in the forthcoming general election is an internal policy of the broadcast station.

“I sent out a crew to cover the event, in line with our policy of covering the engagements of the leading presidential candidates in the general election,” Ajayi wrote.

“We did the same thing when the PDP candidate, Atiku, interacted with business leaders at an LCCI event in Lagos in Sept. 2022. Ditto for LP’s Peter Obi at the same LCCI event in Lagos the same period.

“We also did the same live coverage of Tinubu at Chatham House, London, and we were never harassed. This is part of our responsibility of helping our viewers to make an informed choice in the election.

“The team was led by one of Africa’s leading journalists, Boason Omofaye, who has been ccredited to NESG for decades.

“All our cameras have capacity for live transmission in line with best global journalistic practice and in furtherance of this, it’s our policy to live stream, dip in and out of important events as we deem necessary.”

CONTINUED COLD-WAR?

This is not the first time that  Arise TV will clash with the Tinubu campaign organisation over the APC candidate.

In November 2022, Arise TV organised a town hall series for presidential candidates.

For the first phase, there was no representation for the APC.

Then the invite for the second phase was sent out.

What started like a passing drama following the APC’s excuse over Tinubu’s absence devolved into full-blown statement exchanges as Arise TV insisted that it is constitutional for candidates to attend such town hall meetings.

But Tinubu’s camp maintained its position that the APC candidate would not speak to Nigerians via the TV station’s town-hall platform.

The drama further evolved into claims by the APC camp that Arise TV intends to “embarrass” Tinubu.

But Nduka Obaigbena, founder of the media organisation, told the APC campaign to present its candidate for debate instead of resorting to “bullying”.