The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disassociated itself from the assault on The Sun Newspaper Correspondent, Mr Ndubuisi Orji, which reportedly happened within the premises of its national headquarters in Abuja.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja, said that the perpetrator acted on his own and not on the PDP’s directive.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a staff member of PDP attached to the office of the National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, who was recently removed by the court, had on Monday assaulted Orji.
NAN also reports that the staff member equally forcefully prevented other journalists from gaining access into the premises of party’s national headquarters.
Ologunagba said that the PDP leadership had received a very disturbing report about the conduct of the party official.
Ologunagba, who said that the PDP was committed to the rule of law and the democratic tenets of freedom of the press, transparency and openness, strongly condemned the action.
Ologunagba, while expressing regret over the incident, said that PDP completely dissociates itself from such act of violence, attack on members of the press and the institution of the media.
“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,” he said.
Ologunagba said that the party’s staff member who carried out the attack on the journalist was not in the security department of the party and, therefore, had no business whatsoever regarding the regulation of movements in and around 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.
“PDP is reputed for its uncompromising stand in support and defence of the constitutional freedom of the press.
“The party 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,” he said.
Ologunagba assured the media that the party’s NWC would handle the matter in strict compliance with the party’s established code of conduct guiding the activities of staff members at the PDP national secretariat.
This, according to him, will serve as deterrent to any other person who may also want to carry out such a condemnable act which has no place whatsoever in the character and comportment of PDP.
“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,” he said.
Ologunagba also assured journalists of their safety at the PDP secretariat and continued cordial relationship with the the media.