Channels TV Archives

Datti Baba-Ahmed on Channels TV programme

March 31, 2023

Datti Interview: Channels TV slammed with N5m fine by NBC

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has slammed a fine of N5 million on Channels TV for breaking the broadcasting code in an interview programme with Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed, Labour Party Vice Presidential candidate.

The fine was revealed in a letter addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the television station and dated March 27.

The letter was exclusively obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

The letter, with the title: “Broadcast of an Inciting Interview, A Sanction”, was signed by Balarabe Ilelah, the commission’s Director-General.

It read in part:” The NBC monitored the broadcast of a live interview of the running mate of the Labour Party Vice presidential candidate, Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed, by the anchor of Politics Today, Seun Okinbaloye, on Wednesday, March 22.

“Dr Baba-Ahmed said it will be unconstitutional to swear in an elected president on May 29, 2023, because of election irregularities,” Ilelah said in the letter.

He noted that the broadcast was volatile and capable of inciting public disorder and therefore violated some sections of the broadcasting code.

This, according to him, includes the section that said no broadcast shall encourage, or incite, be repugnant to public feelings or contain offensive reference to any person or organisation, alive or dead or generally be disrespectful to human dignity.

Ilelah added that according to the broadcasting code, broadcasters shall ensure that no programme contained anything which amounted to subversion of constituted authority.

He recalled that the NBC had engaged Channels Television several times to consider public interest before any programme is broadcast.

This, he said, was to ensure that the country was not plunged into anarchy.

“Consequently, on the following infractions, Channels Television is hereby sanctioned and shall pay a penalty of N5,000,000 (five million naira) only in the first instance,” he said.

He added that any further infraction by the television station would attract higher sanctions.

“You are advised to pay within two weeks from the day of receipt of this letter or the penalty will be graduated,” the NBC Director-General said.

On Thursday the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council petitioned the NBC over the same programme, drawing attention to several violations of the Broadcasting Code.

Read the petition: http://localhost/bat-ksm/channels-tv-dragged-to-nbc-over-treasonable-datti-baba-ahmed-interview/?fbclid=IwAR3wOa4OGboQTqJqi22lGQWlwlO9b7efmOwq-7tO0iavPzRiy_qYmC9SmW8

March 30, 2023

Channels TV dragged to NBC over treasonable Datti Baba-Ahmed interview

Channels TV, Datti Baba-Ahmed

The APC Presidential Campaign Council has dragged Channels TV to the National Broadcasting Commission, over a reckless interview granted Datti Baba-Ahmed, the vice-presidential candidate of Labour Party.

In a petition sent by Dele Alake, the President-elect’s special Adviser on Media, Public Affairs and Communications, the PCC listed several infractions of the NBC code committed by Datti Baba-Ahmed and the station.

It called on the agency, which regulates broadcast media, to invoke the necessary sanctions on the station.

According to the petition: “It is our considered opinion that the guest Datti Baba-Ahmed was not only provocative but also inciting the public and the Labour Party followers to delegitimise the outcome of the elections but also propagate resistance against the incoming dully elected administration of Bola Ahmed-Tinubu and Kashim Shettima”.

Read the petition below:

The Director General
National Broadcasting Commission
20 Ibrahim Taiwo Way
Aso Villa
Abuja

Dear Sir

PETITION against CHANNELS TV on breach of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code.

1. In line with Section 14.0.1 of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code 6th edition stating the duty of the National Broadcasting Commission to accept complaints from aggrieved persons , bodies or members of the public and investigate as well as apply sanctions where necessary, the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council hereby petitions the Commission on what it considers breaches by CHANNELS TV last week on its programme “Politics Today” which airs daily at 7pm on weekdays.

2. The programme was hosted on CHANNELS TV by Mr Seun Okinbaloye and had the Labour Party Vice Presidential candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed as guest. During the interview session the guest made several incendiary comments impugning the integrity of the 25 February 2023 Presidential elections.

– He said the Labour Party won the elections. This is a fallacy and not correct.
According to the Code , a Broadcaster is liable when his guest is allowed to make a wild statement that is inaccurate and not based on fact. The only factual figures empirically collated as the final result is the one released by the Independent National Electoral Commission which placed Labour party as third.

– The guest on the programme in question Datti Baba -Ahmed said the President of the country Muhammadu Buhari should not swear in the President -elect because he did not score 25% vote in the FCT, being one of the prerequisites for being declared winner. This is a subversive statement since the matter is before the tribunal and is among the issues submitted in their petition to the courts for adjudication. Therefore until and unless the court rules otherwise, the status quo is the INEC position as declared in the final results

The guest Datti Baba Ahmed’s comments about Labour Party winning the presidential vote undermines constituted authority given to INEC in the 1999 Constitution as the body vested with the powers to conduct and announce the results of national general elections in Nigeria. Any other figures will have to be certified by the tribunal as the authentic one

-Therefore Mr Datti’s comments that the INEC certificate of return issued to the President-elect is a “dud cheque” and is null and void is not only divisive , subversive but also inciting and inflammatory.

The Code states in Section 3.8.1(b) that

” A Broadcaster shall ensure that no programme contains anything which amounts to subversion of constituted authority or compromises the unity or corporate existence of Nigeria as a Sovereign state”.

– The statement by Mr Datti Baba-Ahmed later on the same programme that if “President Buhari should hand over to the President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu by May 29, that would be the end of democracy” is another case of unguarded utterance.

– This is in breach of Section 5.3.3(b) which states that –

“A Broadcaster shall avoid inflammatory and divisive matters in it’s provocative form in using political material”.

Furthermore , Section 3.0.2.1 states that –
“No Broadcaster shall encourage or incite to crime, lead to public disorder or hate , or repugnant to public feelings” materials that cause disaffection.

3. By denying the authenticity of the INEC Presidential election results Mr Datti is at liberty to seek for the voiding of the results, but until the court or tribunal upturns those results they remain the authentic results. CHANNELS TV cannot encourage him to use its platform to create anarchy by disputing results on air without corroborating his facts.

4. In asking the President not to swear in the President-elect he is subverting the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC’s constitutionally guaranteed authority.

5. In using words like “handing over to the President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be the end of democracy” he is not only promoting a threat but instigating a call to rebellion against the state.

This is antithetical to the use of the media for social harmony and peaceful coexistence.

Prayer

It is our considered opinion that the guest Datti Baba-Ahmed was not only provocative but also inciting the public and the Labour Party followers to delegitimise the outcome of the elections but also propagate resistance against the incoming dully elected administration of Bola Ahmed-Tinubu and Kashim Shettima.

We therefore urge the Commission to invoke the necessary sanctions on CHANNELS TV for the breaches enumerated above.

Yours Sincerely

Bayo Onanuga
Director,Media and Publicity

for Special Adviser, Media, Public Affairs and Communications
APC Presidential Campaign Council
March 28, 2023.

Petition to NBC over Datti Ahmed

November 14, 2022

Tinubu: APC PCC drags Arise TV, Channels TV to NBC for misconduct

Arise TV, Channels TV

PRESS RELEASE

Invoke sanctions on Arise TV News, Channels TV over fake News broadcast on Tinubu, APC campaign council petitions NBC

The Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has petitioned the National Broadcasting Commission, asking for sanctions against Arise TV News and Channels TV over their fake reports on the APC Presidential Candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In a petition signed by the Special Adviser, Media, Communications and Public Affairs of the PCC, Mr. Dele Alake, which was addressed to the Director-General, Balarabe Shehu Ilelah both television stations were accused of breaching broadcast codes with their actions.

According the Alake, the purported indictment against Asiwaju Tinubu as reported and discussed on Arise News and Channels TV had already been cleared in a correspondence between then Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun and the US government.

The PCC said continued broadcast of a non-existing ‘indictment’ violated the NBC code.

“The case in question, which did not indict our candidate, has since been overtaken by events after interrogation and correspondences between then Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun in 2003 and the United States government. The US Justice Department in a letter dated 4th February, 2003, issued by the Lagos Consulate of the United States Embassy cleared our candidate. The letter was signed by Michael Bonner, the Consulate’s legal attache.

“The Campaign Council was therefore surprised that certain media houses, such as ARISE News and Channels TV among others, went ahead to transmit and broadcast issues purportedly indicting our candidate in violation of section 3,3 I of the Code which says that:

“The Broadcaster shall

(a) Ensure that any information given in a programme in whatever form is accurate’,

“We believe that the operators of the stations, by their professional standing, should have access to research platforms to verify information before dishing it to the public,” the petition read.

It further accused both stations of using the already cleared document in their interviews of Festus Keyamo SAN and spokesman of the opposition PDP respectively.

Both stations, the petition said, went further to broadcast a fake letter in circulation, purportedly issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission, stating that the electoral body was investigating Tinubu.

This was also against the NBC code, which forbids broadcasting fake news in the words of Mr. Alake.

“Notwithstanding the broadcast of the falsehood peddled by opposition elements, ARISE TV and Channels TV went ahead to transmit and circulate a fake letter insinuating that the Independent National Electoral Commission has initiated an investigation of the APC Presidential candidate premised on the fake letter in circulation.

“Section 5.1.2 states that ‘The Broadcaster shall present news as factual and in correct and fair manner without (a) Distortion, Exaggerations or Misrepresentation.

“Section 5.1.3 further states that ‘Fake News is prohibited’.
“The fake INEC letter has been proven to be fake and this breach is tantamount to disinformation.”

The APC Presidential Campaign Council listed other infractions against Arise TV which has been known to carry fake reports against Asiwaju Tinubu.

“Arise TV has admitted guilt to this in a broadcast few days ago. We make bold to say that in 2014 the AIT transmitted a TV documentary “The Lion of Bourdillon” to which the NBC sanctioned it and it apologized to the victim.

“However, only last week Chief Bode George, a chieftain of the PDP in an interview on Arise TV referred to materials from the documentary to vilify our Presidential candidate in breach of the Code and the apology granted the victim.

“These breaches attract a sanction of Class B and we implore the National Broadcasting Commission to invoke the aforementioned sections to penalize ARISE TV and Channels TV for breach of the Broadcast code. Section 5.3.3 of the code states that “The Broadcaster shall (b) in using Political materials for News and current Affairs Programmes avoid hate speech, inflammatory, Derogatory and Divisive remarks or Allusions’.”

The party said the events “vilified and denigrated” Asiwaju Tinubu as an indicted offender and law breaker in the US”.

As a matter of seeking justice for the APC presidential candidate, the PCC is asking the NBC to invoke the appropriate sanctions against the offending television stations.

“Our Presidential candidate was vilified and denigrated as an indicted offender and law breaker in the US court case by ARISE TV and Channels TV during their broadcasts in the last week, such as The Morning Show and Politics Today respectively.

“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..

“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,” Alake said in the petition.

Bayo Onanuga
Director, Media & Publicity
Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council
November 14, 2022

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Tag: Channels TV

Datti Interview: Channels TV slammed with N5m fine by NBC

Channels TV dragged to NBC over treasonable Datti Baba-Ahmed interview

Tinubu: APC PCC drags Arise TV, Channels TV to NBC for misconduct