The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has attacked media platforms in Nigeria for only considering four political parties while 14 others are referred to as other political parties.
LEADERSHIP reports that Nigeria has 18 registered political parties but four of them, All Progressives Congress (APC) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the Labour Party (LP) are frequently mentioned in the media.
But dissatisfied with the media categorisation, PRP said it observed with dismay, the obvious bias by different media platforms in their categorisation and recognition of political parties and their presidential candidates while covering Political activities towards the 2023 General Election.
A statement issued by the spokesperson, Kola Abiola Presidential Campaign Council, Mallam Illyasu Gadu, PRP said although the start of campaign for the presidential election still remains 28 September 2022, notable media houses, “and in particular, the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) have already decided the Presidential Candidates that deserve recognitions as Special Guests, Notable Candidates and even Front Runners in the General Election Campaigns that start in a month’s time.”
“This to us, is pre-empting the campaign processes, a politically fraudulent but calculated steps at misleading the innocent masses of this great nation into thinking, yet again, that their choices are limited to the few candidates now being glorified by the NTA and others like it, as Special Guests of Honours.
“For instance, an invitation from the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) to our Presidential Candidate, Mr. Kola Abiola dated 15 August 2022, in a purported collaboration with a political organization, addressed 4 Political Parties Candidates as Special Guests while referring to the rest candidates and their parties as “others” thereby making NTA sentimental, biased and unworthy of further recognition as a platform for National orientation,” the statement said.
PRP said to name the APC, the ruling party first when it does not come first in alphabetical order of INEC’s listing of political parties further gave NTA away as tactically campaigning for the APC to the disadvantage of others.
“Referring to the 4 listed party logos as Frontline Political Parties is an aberration against the forthcoming election and the NTA must apologise to our Candidate, the PRP and Nigerians at large.
“Further, our organisation noted that in the news content, features, analyses, interviews and other related areas of media engagements since political parties ended their primaries, the Nigerian media have specifically restricted their coverage and mentions to these 4 political parties: the All Progressive Congress (APC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the Labour Party (LP), while others are considered as other Political Parties.
