The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said its staff, Mr. Emmanuel Okoronkwo, who assaulted The SUN Newspaper correspondent, Ndubuisi Orji, acted on his own, and in violation of the democratic principles which the party is known for.
The party described the incident as unfortunate and regrettable, stressing that it didn’t direct the staff to beat up any reporter, stressing that it also did not stop journalists from accessing the party’s secretariat during the holidays.
Recall that Okoronkwo, an aide to sacked national secretary of PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, physically attacked Orji at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Monday, after refusing to allow him access to the party’s secretariat to cover his beat.
Reacting yesterday, the national publicity secretary of PDP, Hon Debo Ologunagba, said party’s leadership has received the “very disturbing report that a staff of our Party, Mr. Emmanuel Okoronkwo yesterday assaulted, a correspondent of the Sun Newspapers, Mr. Ndubuisi Orji, locked out and forcefully prevented other journalists accredited to cover the activities of the PDP from gaining access into the premises of the National Secretariat of our Party to conduct their legitimate duties.”
Ologunagba said PDP completely dissociates itself from acts of violence and attack on members of the press and the institution of the media which is critical to its activities and the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.
He said “For clarity, whereas the PDP National Secretariat is closed for secretarial activities to enable our staff to participate in the Yuletide festivities with their families, it does not preclude anybody particularly the press from having access to the Secretariat to conduct their legitimate business.
“Moreover, Mr. Emmanuel Okoronkwo is not in the security department of the Party and has no business whatsoever regarding the regulation of movements into the complex. He acted on his own, in violation of democratic and all-inclusive principles for the which the PDP is known and outside the code of conduct guiding activities of staff at the PDP National Secretariat.
“The PDP is reputed for its uncompromising stand in support and defense of the Constitutional freedom of the press and cannot by any means or under any guise whatsoever engage in or condone any act that tends to abridge such legitimate freedom of the Media or any person for that matter.
“The NWC, therefore assures that the issue will be handled in strict compliance with the Party’s established Code of Conduct guiding activities of staffs at the PDP National Secretariat to serve as deterrent against such condemnable act which has no place whatsoever in the character and comportment of the PDP as a political Party.”
He said PDP regrets the incident and assured of its unalloyed respect for the press, particularly members of the PDP Press Corps, as partners in progress for accountability, probity and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.
