TheCable

The African Action Congress (AAC) has filed a suit against the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) over the exclusion of Omoyele Sowore, the party’s presidential candidate, from presidential debate.

NEDG and BON had excluded AAC, naming only five political parties to participate in 2019 vice-presidential and presidential debates.

In a statement on Thursday by Malcolm Fabiyi, director-general of the Sowore campaign, the party said it would not accept Sowore’s exclusion and wants the court to compel the NEDG and BON to explain why AAC was excluded from the debate.

The statement read; “The Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG), in association with the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria and Channels TV, has been resolute in its discrimination against Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate for the African Action Congress. Despite being one of the top three parties in polls and surveys, the NEDG fraudulently excluded the AAC and selected other parties for the debate. The NEDG has cited multiple excuses for its discriminatory refusal to include the AAC. None of those excuses hold water.

“The nation is aware by now that the AAC party and the Take it Back Movement will not take injustice, discrimination or oppression lightly. We do not accept it when meted out to innocent Nigerians as we have shown in various protests, and we certainly will not accept it against ourselves or our efforts.

“This lawsuit should not only help ensure that the right of all Nigerians to have an authentic, unfiltered debate about the Nigeria’s future is assured, it would also serve notice to all those who hide behind legitimate institutions and organizations to perpetuate the oppression and the drowning out of legitimate voices from national discourse, that their days of impunity are over.

“We hope that the Nigerian judicial system will show itself to be strong, virile and independent as this case makes it way through the courts. Nigeria MUST progress.”

Earlier, Inibehe Effiong, AAC’s legal adviser, who filed the suit had threatened to proceed to the court if Sowore was not included.

In a letter addressed to John Momoh, BON chairman, Effiong had said; “Section 2, paragraph 1.1.4 of the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage which was adopted by BON and seven other media organizations on the 30th day of October states thus:

“A broadcast medium shall strive to ensure the participation of all parties and candidates contesting elections in political debates.”

The vice-presidential debate held on December 14, 2018, while the presidential debate is to hold on  January 19, 2019.

The debates are expected to be transmitted live on all BON member stations and its affiliates and across major social media platforms.