Edo PDP Primary: Obaseki’s SA On Media Hijacks Accreditation Process, Bars Journalists

By EDITOR

The accreditation process of the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Primary election holding today, Thursday, 22 February, 2024 in Benin City, Edo State was hijacked by Special Adviser to the State governor, Godwin Obaseki on Media Projects, Mr. Crusoe Osagie,l

Journalists at the accreditation centre; ‘Edo Hotel’ were disappointed as they were denied accreditation by the party officials.

They were told that only 10 journalists in the print and five electronic media in the State were accredited by Crusoe for the event.

This however, is contrary to a release signed and made available to the media earlier yesterday; Wednesday, 21 February, 2024 by Tony Anenih Jnr, the Party’s State Organising Secretary, to Accreditation venue at Marquee Event Centre, inside Edo Hotel, GRA , Benin Coty.

The action was strongly condemned in a press statement issued by the Secretary of Edo Online Media Practitioners, Dada Sam Ayokhai and made available to journalists in the State.

Ayokhai wondered why a project that was supposed to be a purely PDP affair intended to produce a credible and acceptable party flag bearer was hijacked by Crusoe Osagie, Edo State Government official instead of the party Publicity Secretary.

It is disheartening to learn that Crusoe Osagie has specifically barred online media practitioners, a body duly recognized by the umbrella body, Nigeria Union Of Journalists, (NUJ) and Newspaper Proprietors of Nigeria (NPAN) from the venue of the primary.

Only time will tell what he intends to achieve by this counter productive directive, he wondered.

This is just one of the series of deprivation of journalists’ rights to cover so many events of national interest in the State, by the Obaseki’s Special Adviser.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident, a member of the Civil Society Organization (CSO) who was also denied accreditation said that the office of the SA to the Governor was quite distinct from the office of the publicity Secretary of the PDP.

“Therefore Crusoe should choose between his office as SA Media, or that of the Publicity Secretary of the PDP.”

It is on record that Crusoe’s unfriendly dealings with journalists in the State has adversely affected the publicity of numerous achievements of the Godwin Obaseki’s administration.