Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the new broadcast code introduced  by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is an attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government  to muzzle the media and suppress free speech in the country.

The party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary,  Kola Ologbondiyan,  yesterday,  said the new code, which prescribed N5million fine for hate speech,  was allegedly meant to intimidate the media and gag whistle blowers from further exposing alleged corruption and rights violations by the government. The opposition party noted that there was the need for the APC to recognize the fact that Nigeria is a democracy and that citizens cannot be restrained  from exercising their rights to freedom of speech.

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“The code is also a grand plot to suppress and muzzle Nigerians and the media from publicly opposing plots by the APC to mortgage the sovereignty of our dear nation to foreign interests as being witnessed in the anti-Nigeria clauses in the  loan agreements with China.

“The APC has been jittery over the stench of monumental corruption oozing out from its government as well as its anti-Nigeria activities, and now seeks to suppress public opinion and media reportage of their atrocities against our nation.

“The PDP invites Nigerians to note that the APC administration rushed to review the broadcast codes  and introduced draconian clauses at the height of public revelations and media reportage of its corruption and plots to mortgage our nation’s sovereignty to China.