Former Chairman and founder of Daar Communications PLC, Raymond Dokpesi, has said that the president- elect Muhammadu Buhari lacks the power to stop AIT from covering his activities, as doing so would amount to breaking the law.
He insisted that the decision by 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.
In an interview Dokpesi granted Premium Times, he disclosed that the organisation suspected that the ill thought out decision may have been a response to some of the documentaries aired on the station during the electioneering period but insisted that the issues raised in them including the one about the national leaders of APC, Bola Tinubu were all factually correct.
He also said Section 39 of the constitution equally grants Nigerians the freedom of expression and to hold opinion.
He said: “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.
“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.
“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.”
He explained that although the documentaries were produced outside of Daar communications, “We take responsibility for the running of these items and I as an individual is satisfied because due diligence was followed in ensuring that the things that are contained were factually right”.
He said Daar Communications is a commercial entity and therefore reserves the right to run anything it considers worthy of being televised. He said there is also a right of response available to anyone who feels strongly about any matter broadcast by the station.
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