Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has kicked against alleged plans by the Federal Government to gag the media and curtail freedom of speech.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday, it said the decision to impose stringent regulations on online media and broadcast organisations, was obnoxious.
It urged the National Assembly as the representatives of the people to reject the alleged plot in the interest of the country.
“The decision by President Buhari to impose stringent regulations on online media and broadcast organisations as recently announced by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, is completely obnoxious, anti-democratic and a direct violation of statutory rules governing media practice and freedom of expression in Nigeria.
“The PDP also rejects the Presidential declaration of political comments as “Class A” offence, insisting that such is designed to undermine the nation’s constitutional democracy, exterminate the rights of citizens to dissenting public opinion, emasculate the opposition and foist a dictatorship and one party system on our nation.
“Our party alerts that such moves amount to an attempt to amend our constitution to take away the rights of citizens and undermine our democratic institutions; a development that has the capacity to destabilize our dear nation.