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Election coverage: SERAP gives Buhari 48 hours to withdraw threat to shut down broadcast stations

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1 year ago

March 12, 2023

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to “instruct Mr Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to urgently withdraw the ‘last warning’ and threat to revoke the licenses of broadcast stations and shut them down over their coverage of elections and post-election matters.”

The NBC had last week threatened to revoke the licenses of broadcast stations and shut them down “if they continue to allow unpatriotic individuals on their platforms to make utterances that are subversive, hateful, and inciting, and negative conversations particularly in the post-2023 Presidential Election.”

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POLITICSElection coverage: SERAP gives Buhari 48 hours to withdraw threat to shut down broadcast stationsPublished 42 mins ago on March 12, 2023By Ripples Nigeria
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to “instruct Mr Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to urgently withdraw the ‘last warning’ and threat to revoke the licenses of broadcast stations and shut them down over their coverage of elections and post-election matters.”

But in a letter dated 11 March, 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said, “The ‘last warning’ and threat by the NBC if not immediately withdrawn would limit freedom of expression and the ability of broadcast stations to cover important issues around the 2023 general elections.”

According to SERAP, “Threatening to shut down and revoke the licences of broadcast stations simply for carrying out their ‘watchdog role’ is clearly incompatible with Nigeria’s constitutional and international human rights obligations.”

The letter, read in part: “Political expression is a fundamental right. The threat by the NBC creates a significant risk that legitimate expression may be prohibited.

“Such unlawful prohibition may prevent transparency and dissemination of information on legitimate issues of public interest around the 2023 general elections.

“We would be grateful if the requested action is taken within 48 hours of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.

“The threat may produce a direct impact on the work of broadcast stations in ways that are inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom.

The letter, read in part: “Political expression is a fundamental right. The threat by the NBC creates a significant risk that legitimate expression may be prohibited.

“Such unlawful prohibition may prevent transparency and dissemination of information on legitimate issues of public interest around the 2023 general elections.

“The threat may produce a direct impact on the work of broadcast stations in ways that are inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom.

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“Your government has a legal responsibility to ensure an environment in which a diverse range of political opinions and ideas around the general elections can be freely and openly expressed and debated.

“The threat by the NBC is neither necessary nor proportionate, as it would unduly intrude upon Nigerians’ right to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom.

“The use of vague and undefined phrases such as ‘unpatriotic individuals’ ‘subversive, hateful, and inciting utterances, particularly post-election’, as grounds to threaten to shut down broadcast stations is inconsistent and incompatible with human rights requirements.

“The Nigerian Constitution and human rights treaties impose legal obligations on your government to refrain from imposing restrictions which are not consistent with human rights requirements, including on discussion of political and election-related issues.

The letter, read in part: “Political expression is a fundamental right. The threat by the NBC creates a significant risk that legitimate expression may be prohibited.

“Such unlawful prohibition may prevent transparency and dissemination of information on legitimate issues of public interest around the 2023 general elections.

“The threat may produce a direct impact on the work of broadcast stations in ways that are inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom.

READ ALSO:SERAP to Buhari: Direct CBN to obey Supreme Court order on naira swap policy now, or else…

“The threat by the NBC is neither necessary nor proportionate, as it would unduly intrude upon Nigerians’ right to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom.

“It is also inconsistent with constitutional and international human rights requirements to threaten broadcast stations solely for their coverage of the issues around the general elections on the basis of vague phrases such as ‘unguarded statements, divisive and dangerous comments’, ‘negative conversations’ used by the NBC.

“The threat may stifle reporting on political and election-related issues, as well as have a deterrent effect on the public’s exercise of their right to freedom of expression on political and election-related issues, in particular issues deemed controversial or critical.

“The threat also represents a serious hindrance to the exercise of journalism, media diversity and media freedom, and participation.

“This kind of threat to journalism has furthermore serious implications on the public’s right to information, in particular in the context of the general elections where the role of the media is of particular importance.