The motion by the Kwara State House of Assembly seeking to urge the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to sanction alleged violators of political broadcast in the state has generated heated debate between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the intention of the action. In this interview with HEAD POLITICS MUMINI ABDULKAREEM, Barrister Salman Jawondo shed more light on the issue. Excerpts:
What do you make of all the argument on this issue?
I don’t think the House resolution is aimed at banning political broadcast because they don’t have that power which is vested at the federal level. But I think what they are trying to say is that it should be carried out in accordance with the NBC code regulating broadcasting, particularly as it relates to political parties programmes. For me, it’s a resolution and a mere advice which has no legal binding on anybody and not enforceable anywhere in the world. But that the House busied itself with this shows how busy it is, perhaps maybe because of the broadcast of particularly the PDP that has been very incisive of government’s activities and has had a great effect on the APC as a party in government.
Do you concur to the allegation making the rounds that this is about 2019?
If you follow events hitherto, it has always been a one-way information from the angle of the government alone and people do not have access to evaluation of government’s performance. But with the PDP programme and especially after the last local government election, we are now experiencing some pockets of governance. That is why I am praying that if possible, we should be having local government election every six months or yearly so that the ruling party will wake up. The citizens are getting more enlightened because of the radio programmes which if the government is serious to admit, it has also ginger them up to be alive to their responsibilities unlike before. I think more than anybody else, this government deserve to praise PDP for waking them up from their slumber. The opposition has really challenged them to do certain things and the masses of Kwara will be grateful for it.
But the APC also has their own programme on radio?
Looking at it very critically, the PDP programme superseded that of the APC and theirs was a reaction to that of the PDP. Most times, their programme lacks content and insulting the collective intelligence of all of us. It is safer for them to have both programmes cancelled. And I think we have moved backward comparing this administration to what former Governor Bukola Saraki left.
Looking at one of the broadcast codes, partisan political broadcast is described as only those in which parties seeks to explain their views and policies, what do you make of this considering the ongoing narrative?
But my view could be a criticism or appreciation of another person’s view, political parties or activities of government.
One of the broadcasting codes said all partisan political broadcast shall be recorded at transmission point and preserve for at least 90 days from that first broadcast…?
That doesn’t mean live programme cannot be heard but that live or recorded programmes should be recorded and available for the next 90 days because you may need it based on demand from relevant authorities. That is not prohibition of live programmes.
But the 2016 Draft of the NBC said a partisan political broadcast is one in which the political parties only seek to explain its manifestos and programmes… how you respond to this?
There is a difference between the code and the draft and I believe the draft is coming because of the criticism of the government in power which shows that it is not ready to tolerate criticism especially the one that people will listen to and be enlightened. But I believe they are just wasting their time because part of the work of opposition is to criticise the government of the day and you don’t do that by sitting in your office or only on newspaper. Moreover, this draft cannot stand when compared to the constitution that guarantees freedom of opinion. When this draft comes into operation, people will be there to challenge it. Not because one is in the opposition, but because this is not good for the system. How can you come go on air and be talking about your party’s manifesto alone as an opposition party? The only thing you can say is to ask for evidence.
But is your party doing that?
What else have we been doing? That is exactly what we do and you can see the interest it has generated.
