The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the physical assault on a journalist, Mr Ndubuisi Orji.
Orji, who covers the party for The Sun Newspapers, was on Monday assaulted by one Emmanuel Okoronkwo, identified as an aide to the party’s ousted National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
Okoronkwo, who claimed to be acting on the orders of Anyanwu, had rained blows on the journalist at the main gate of the PDP national secretariat.
The errant aide claimed to be acting on a directive given by Anyanwu to prevent journalists from accessing the party secretariat.
The assault was a reaction to trending reports of Anyanwu’s removal as PDP National Secretary by a Federal High Court which recognised Sunday Ude-Okoye as the authentic National Secretary.
Reacting to the incident on Tuesday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, disowned Okoronkwo, saying that he acted on his own.
Ologunagba said, “The leadership of the PDP has received a 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.
The PDP, as a party committed to the rule of law and the democratic tenets of freedom of the press, transparency and openness strongly condemns and completely dissociates itself from such act of violence and attack on members of the press and the institution of the media which is critical to the activities of our party and the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.
“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 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 party assured that the issue will be handled in strict compliance with its established code of conduct guiding activities of staff at the party’s secretariat.
The party spokesman said Okoronkwo will be appropriately punished,” 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.”
“The PDP regrets the incident and assures of its unalloyed respect for the press, particularly members of the PDP Press Corps as we continue as partners in progress for accountability, probity and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.”
