EXTRA: I was just joking about Decree 2, says Umar

‎Danladi Umar, chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), on Wednesday, said that he was only joking when he said that Decree 2 should be brought back to deal with erring journalists.

Umar said this through Ibraheem Alhassan, spokesman of the CCT, in a statement.

Decree 2, a repressive law against the press, was promulgated in 1984 by the‎ Muhammadu Buhari military government.

Alhassan, in the statement, also said that the CCT chairman was only “teasing” the media.

‎He said: “We  wish to correct an impression created from the remarks made by the honorable chairman during Tuesday’s sitting, while cautioning media practitioners against misrepresentation of what transpired in the court, where he teasingly said, ‘if I have my way I would have bring decree 2 to take care of erring journalists.’

“The statement by the chairman was made out of joke, not to intimidate any of my esteem colleagues from observing their statutory functions as mandated by the Constitution of federal republic of Nigeria, as anchored in liberal democratic society like ours.

“Consequently, before the controversial statement on Decree 2, the chairman, also after granting the request of learned SAN Agabi, to sought for medical attention, he in a lighter mood recommended to Agabi to take a ‘rest at Transcorp Hilton’ but surprisingly that was aspect his remarks was downplayed in the report.

“However, the area that needed explanation also is the warning chairman passed to general public in court, upon complained by Rotimi Jacob (SAN), which he said somebody from the gallery unruly remarked that he should ‘sit down’. Then the chairman threatened that whoever make any comment, when counsel are making submission for or against, would be committed for contempt. He is not specifically directed at the distinguished senators, as widely reported.

“The under-lining issue here to look at, is the remarks according to lead prosecutions counsel, Rotimi Jacobs was coming from gallery and since the commencement of this trial, the distinguished senators in company of senate president, to my knowledge, never sat at the gallery of the tribunal’s court room‎.”