Buhari lacks the powers to stop AIT from covering his activities - Dokpesi

The Chairman of Daar Communications, owners of AIT, Chief Raymond Dokpesi has stated that Monday’s decision by the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to bar one of its subsidiaries, Africa Independent Television, from covering his activities was an attempt by the former military Head of State to bring back the era of Decree 4.

Mr. Dokpesi said Mr. Buhari lacks the power to stop the AIT from covering his activities, as doing so would amount to breaking the law.

"I am sure that the President-elect needs to be reminded of Decree 4, and he should be clearly reminded that section 32 of the constitution makes it mandatory for the media to hold public officials accountable to the people. The president-elect said that he does not want to be covered by AIT, but AIT has a responsibility to the Nigerian public to report the things that are happening. There are three national networks available for national coverage in Nigeria, the NTA, AIT and Silverbirds. You cannot stop a foremost private station from reporting in Nigeria, it brings us back to Decree 4 era.”he said

On the controversial documentary about General Buhari and his family ran by the station during the electioneering campaign, Mr Dokpesi said the station was a private entity that could run anything that it feels is fact and accurate.

"If they had produced their own documentary to say this is what we want and AIT did not publish it, then that is another matter. What is obviously very clear is the fact that AIT believes that the historical information about the President elect that were ran, were factually correct. Nothing was done to defame him or impinge on his character or integrity.” he told Premium Times