Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) is up in arms against the Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, who allegedly hijacked the accreditation process of journalists assigned to cover the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election holding today, Thursday, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin city, the Edo state capital.
Journalists who were advised via a release signed and made available to the press earlier on Wednesday by Tony Anenih Jnr to convene at the Marque Event Centre for accreditation for the event were disappointed as they got to the accreditation centre this morning only to be told that not more than 10 journalists in the print and electronic media in the state were accredited by Crusoe.
In a press statement signed by the Secretary of Edo Online Media Practitioners, Dada Sam Ayokhai, and made available to journalists in the state, in strong terms, condemned the action of the SA Media to the Edo State Governor.
He wondered why a project that was supposed to be a purely PDP party affair intended to produce a credible and acceptable party flag bearer was hijacked by Crusoe Osagie, Edo state government official instead of the PDP Publicity Secretary.
“It is disheartening to learn that Crusoe Osagie has specifically said that no online media practitioners, a body duly recognized by the umbrella body, Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) and Newspaper Proprietors of Nigeria ( NPAN) be allowed into the venue of the primary. Only time will tell what he intends to achieve by this counter productive directive.
“Recall that this is just one of the series of deprivation of journalists rights to cover so many events of national interest in the state”, said the press statement.
Reacting to the unfortunate incident, a member of the civil Society Organization (CSO) who was also denied accreditation said that the office of the SA to the governor was quite distinct from the office of the publicity Secretary of the PDP, adding that he has a choice to choose between his office as SA media or that of the Publicity Secretary of the PDP.
“Let it be on record that Crusoe’s high- handedness in handling journalists matters in the state has adversely affected publicising the numerous achievements of the Godwin Obaseki’s administration,” he said.
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