Radio Station halts live interview with APC chieftain in Akwa Ibom

 

A private radio station in Akwa Ibom State on Monday abruptly ended a live interview with the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Ita Awak, after the guest mentioned the name of the speaker of the state House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke on air.

Mr. Awak believed he was discharged from the ‘Team Nigeria’ programme on Planet 101.1FM because authorities feared he might proceed to criticise Governor Udom Emmanuel and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party.

The APC spokesman said he was well received by the host of the show but that 10 minutes into the programme, the interview was discontinued immediately he mentioned Mr. Luke’s name.

Mr. Awak said he referred to Mr. Luke in context, while trying to recall what the speaker’s opinion was on looted funds so far recovered by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The station stopped airing Mr. Awak’s interview, and started playing music in its place.

Mr. Awak said even before the interview started, he was warned by the station’s General Manager, Sunday Edet, not to talk about Governor Emmanuel, the Peoples Democratic Party, the Akwa Ibom state government or anybody within the state government.

“He told me since I am an APC spokesman I should only talk about the federal government that is being led by the APC.

“I challenged him on that. I said how can I, being an APC spokesman, talk about 17 years of democracy in Nigeria, without localising it?”

After the first interruption, the General Manager, Mr. Edet, negotiated with him to commit not to refer to any official of the state government during the programme.

When he felt a compromise had been reached, Mr. Edet gave permission for the interview to resume.

But Mr. Awak did the unexpected.

When the interview resumed, Mr. Awak told listeners, “Ladies and gentlemen, that break in transmission was caused by the censorship I am experiencing right now in this studio. The manager is prevailing on me not to mention anything about Akwa Ibom State government.”

Mr. Edet, who was standing in the studio to personally monitor the interview, immediately shut down the broadcast again.

Source: Killer Punch