Fake INEC letter: APC campaign asks NBC to sanction broadcast stations over report on Tinubu

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has asked the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to sanction media stations over a recent report on Bola Tinubu, its presidential candidate.

There had been recent reports claiming that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is probing a court case involving Tinubu in the United States.

However, INEC had denied the claim, describing a document in circulation which had the commission’s letterhead with alleged information on the purported investigation as “fake”.

In a petition to the commission on Monday, Dele Alake, the campaign’s special adviser on media, asked NBC to “invoke the appropriate sanctions against the offending television stations”.

He listed ARISE TV and Channels Television as the stations in question, adding that their action goes against the provision of section 3 of the NBC code.

“The Broadcaster shall; (a) Ensure that any information given in a programme in whatever form is accurate,” Section 3.3.1 of the code reads.

Alake said the “indictment” had already been cleared in correspondence between Tafa Balogun, a former inspector-general of police (IGP), and the US government.

“Section 3.1.2 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code also states that-
‘The Broadcaster shall not transmit any programme, programme promotion, community service announcement or station identity which is likely in any circumstance to provoke or perpetuate in a reasonable person intense dislike, serious contempt or severe ridicule against a person or groups of people’,” he said.

“For the effect of reference of powers to sanction erring broadcasters, The Code states in Chapter One, Section 1.1 (h) ‘The Power to establish and disseminate the code is derived from the provisions of Section 2 (1) (h) of the NBC Act, which is its enabling law.

“We hereby request the National Broadcasting Commission to sanction the offending stations in the name of justice and in protection of the rights of our candidate as well as avoidance of future reoccurrence.”