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Major General: Rights group, Oyo Speaker, others commend Punch for Buhari’s new title

…Signal newspapers to address PMB as dictator

 

A rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule
of Law (Intersociety) has commended Punch Newspapers for its resolve
to start addressing President Muhammadu Buhari as a Major General.
The newspaper had announced this in its editorial yesterday as a sign
of protest for the President’s defiance to rule of law in Nigeria.
Intersociety in a press statement made available to newsmen in Awka,
said the stated was commendable, and has also reinforced its own
earlier resolve not to address serving Justices of the Supreme Court
and the Court of Appeal in Nigeria as “Their Lordships”.
The statement signed by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Emeka
Umeagbalasi reads, “The step taken by the Editorial Board and
Management of Punch has reinforced similar bold step recently taken by
Intersociety.
“Recall that Intersociety had on 19th Nov 2019 resolved not to address
the serving Justices of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal in
Nigeria as “Their Lordships” or singly as “His Lordship”, or have
“Honorable(s)” added to them as in “Honorable” Justice.
“The action was taken by Intersociety to protest their conspiratorial
roles in legitimizing the ‘armada of electoral fraud’, called “the
2019 Presidential Election in Nigeria”.
“We commend The Punch for this bold step, they have done very well
this time. The Newspaper has triumphantly returned to the trench.
“History has also not forgotten the Newspaper and others concerning
the priceless roles and sacrifices they made during the country’s
military dark eras. From their trenches, joined by others, the
military was catapulted back to the Barracks where it remained until
the second coming of Buhari.”
The group said the next step that must be taken is to strip governors
and their deputies of the lofty title of ‘their excellencies’ as they
have done nothing excellent to deserve the title.
Similarly, the Oyo State Speaker, Debo Ogundoyin has commended the
newspaper for being courageous.
Ogundoyin in his tweet, yesterday, wrote; “Today’s @MobilePunch
editorial, its resolution to henceforth prefix @MBuhari with Major
General & refer to his administration as regime in protest against
autocracy is another huge feat renewing our hope in the media as a
strong voice ready to hold govt. accountable & responsible.”
Like the Speaker, some Nigerians on social media platforms have also
saluted the courage of Punch in awarding Buhari a ‘new title’.
A social media commentator, identified as Elnathan @elnathan_john
wrote, “Major General Buhari, the deceptively amiable gap-toothed
dictator at the head of the Nigerian regime notorious for human rights
abuses and crimes against the economy.”
For Nedu Ekeke #BBOG@Nedunaija, he said, “Dear @MobilePunch, you’ve
led the way. We’ll follow.
Moving forward, I will, in line with your well considered patriotic
defiance to tyranny, also prefix Buhari with either
Major-General/General.
“I will also refer to his ‘administration’ as regime. Nigeria will
defeat tyranny.”
On his part, Ohimai Godwin Amaize@MrFixNigeria wrote; “Thank you
@MobilePunch! Can other Nigerian newspapers join this protest against
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari’s dictatorial regime? No sitting on the
fence. It is time to stand on the right side of history.”


…Signal newspapers to address PMB as dictator

Following Punch Newspaper’s resolve to start addressing President
Muhammadu Buhari as a Major General, an online news platform, Signal,
has also announced that it will now address the President with the
prefix: ‘Dictator’ in all its publications.
The news platform made the announcement on Twitter and also disclosed
that the decision came as a show of protest for the consistent
disregard for the rule of law and clampdown on freedom of expression
in Nigeria.
The tweet reads; “As a show of protest for the consistent disregard
for the rule of law and clampdown on freedom of expression in
#Nigeria, we shall henceforth address President Muhammadu @MBuhari
with the prefix: ‘Dictator’ in all our publications.


…you’ve no right to change Buhari’s title – Presidency warns Punch

The Presidency has said that Punch Newspaper’s editorial of Wednesday
where it vowed to address President Muhammadu Buhari as a Major
General and his government as a regime, is unconstitutional.
The Presidency said it is not within the capacity of a media house to
change the title of an elected President.
In a statement yesterday, signed by Garba Shehu, President Buhari’s
spokesman, the Presidency, claimed that Punch was being partisan,
adding that it “never changed President Olusegun Obasanjo’s title from
President to General Obasanjo, despite the latter’s refusal to comply
with Supreme Court judgement, ordering him to release N30 billion of
Lagos State local councils funds.”
It also wondered why the newspaper did not challenge former Head of
State, General Ibrahim Babaginda when he assumed the title of
President even when he was not democratically elected.
The statement added, “The reported new editorial policy of the Punch
Newspapers to address President Muhammadu Buhari as Major General in
his official title and refer to his government as a regime instead of
administration comes to us as totally curious and utterly incredible.
“The paper claimed that it is changing President Buhari’s official
title to General because of his government’s alleged disregard for the
rule of law.
“Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), for that, is his title, and he
was indeed a Major General, but today retired from that position and
now twice democratically elected president of Nigeria – is not the
choice of Punch Newspaper’s editors and owners, that is clear.
“He is, however, the two-time electoral choice of the voters of
Nigeria, those very people who Punch Newspapers described this morning
as ‘lethargic’: a disdaining epithet apportioned to decent,
hard-working, everyday Nigerians for not agreeing with, and for not
having voted in line with their publication’s editorial and political
opinions.
“Punch’s editorial today is, however, entirely in line with holding
and exercising the right of free speech and freedom of the press, as
my friend and colleague, Femi Adesina said earlier today.
“Femi, Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity said the fact the Punch
can insult the President in a front-page editorial and they go home to
sleep, peacefully, is the best testimony to the prevalence of the
freedom of the press and of expression in the country.
“To quote him, rather than being pejorative, addressing President
Buhari by his military rank is another testimony to free speech and
freedom of the press, which this administration (or regime, if anyone
prefers: it is a matter of semantics) has pledged to uphold and
preserve.’
“In countries around the world where this right does not exist,
newspapers do not publish articles such as the one Punch did today;
nor do they get to express political opinions contrary to that of
government. The exact freedoms Punch claims are missing are
self-evident here – in print, on the internet – for all Nigerians and
the whole world to see.
“There is nothing wrong with expressing contrary opinions to this
government – nor being in opposition to the president: this is the
right of every Nigerian.
“However, calling for the armed overthrow of the democratically
elected administration is a different matter entirely: this Punch has
in no way done – but others who they seek to defend, have.
“There is a difference. Punch: oppose the government as much as you want to.”

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