The former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has described the threat by the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to Channels Television anchor Seun Okibaloye as an authoritarian trait and a sign that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government is intolerant.
Atiku Media Office disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.
Recall that Wike, in an interview with Okibaloye, said he would have shot the journalist over his question on Tinubu’s being accused of drifting the country into a one-party system.
Wike’s comment has stirred reactions.
Reacting, Atiku demanded that Wike immediately apologize to Okibaloye, with public condemnation by Tinubu’s government and assurance to protect journalists.
“We must ask: if a prominent journalist can be threatened so brazenly on national television, what protection exists for the ordinary Nigerian?
“The Atiku Media Office states, without equivocation, that this reckless conduct is unacceptable and must not be allowed to stand.
“We therefore demand the following: An immediate and unconditional public apology from Nyesom Wike to Seun Okinbaloye and the entire Nigerian media community; A clear and public repudiation of this dangerous rhetoric by the administration of Bola Tinubu; Concrete assurances for the safety and protection of journalists across Nigeria.
“Anything short of this will confirm what many Nigerians already fear—that this government is not merely intolerant of dissent, but increasingly comfortable with the language and instruments of repression,” the statement.
