Roll Call of Governors Walking the Impunity Lane
Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that there is a growing resolve by an increasing number of state chief executives to deploy instruments of oppression to mute dissenting voices
What could not be discerned was whether Ayade was simply displaying the well-known Nigerian trait for favoritism or he was responding to undue pressure from the publisher to keep alleged wrong deeds of the governor away from the public. Sources close to both men have it that Jalingo’s demands on Ayade were becoming too much.
Living up to his boisterous character, Jalingo has remained unbowed. He has succeeded in drawing the attention of the world to his travail.
Interestingly, Ayade government is trying to tie Odok to Jalingo, perhaps to kill two birds with one stone. His lawyer, Oliver Osang, according to a report by Premium Times, said the police has been trying to “rope in” Mr. Odok in Mr. Jalingo’s case and that of the publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore, who is standing trial in Abuja over the #RevolutionNow protest.
Mr. Akpan thinks it was a deliberate ploy to keep his client in prison. “You take him to a court that lacks jurisdiction, knowing that the judge or magistrate will say, ‘I don’t have the jurisdiction go and wait in custody, pending the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution in the Ministry of Justice’. So, that is why he has been in custody till date.
Governor Emmanuel further demonstrated his disdain for people who lack good manners when he publicly condemned the unruly behaviour that some youths exhibit on social media. He has also been reported, saying that he has condoned “insults” from the opposition in the state in the course of doing his job as governor, but will not be intimidated.
The state chairman of the APC, Alhaji Lawal Liman, condemned the action and described it as political witch hunt. “I commend APC members in the state for their resilience in supporting the party in spite of the threats, intimidation and harassment from the present administration in the state under the Peoples Democratic Party . I am appealing to members of the APC in Zamfara to consider the challenges as a test from God.
He went further to situate his argument within the context of the Nigerian constitution. “Specifically, Section 39 of the 1999 CFRN as altered provides for the “right to freedom of expression and the press”. Subsection 1 of that section amplifies this further by stating that “every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information, ideas and opinions.
Wife of passionate critic of the Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, told journalists that security agents waited for her husband, Abubakar Idris, better known as Dadiyata, to arrive home from work, then whisked him away to an unknown destination. Dadiyata, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State has not been seen since August 1.
*A federal high court in Calabar, the Cross River State capital denied Jalingo’s application for bail. The presiding judge held that the charges against the journalist were grave with one of them attracting capital punishment *In Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Imo Akpan, a lawyer, has taken up the case of 21 year-old, Michael Itok who has been detained for close to three months for posting comments on Facebook considered as insulting to Governor Udom Emmanuel
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