Rights groups condemn media harrassment, impunity in Enugu

In a press briefing on Sunday, the Head of the coalition, Emmanuel Onwubiko decried what he termed as declining democratic space in Enugu State just as he called for the immediate conduct of local government elections in the state.Against the backdrop of reported attempts to shut the Dream FM, a radio station belonging to deputy […]

In a press briefing on Sunday, the Head of the coalition, Emmanuel Onwubiko decried what he termed as declining democratic space in Enugu State just as he called for the immediate conduct of local government elections in the state.
Against the backdrop of reported attempts to shut the Dream FM, a radio station belonging to deputy senate president Ike Ekweremadu, Onwubiko said the “repression” of the media will undermine democracy in the country.
“The mass media under section 22 of the constitution is given independence and the right to monitor and hold the government for the people. And it is from the people that the elected officials draw their legitimacy,” he said.
Citing the report of an opinion poll it conducted in Enugu State, the coalition said it found that basic amenities such as water are not available in rural communities of the state, adding that the Child Rights Act has not been domesticated in the state.
The coalition opined that the impeachment of the state deputy governor Onyebuchi is a “Chicken impeachment which makes Enugu a chicken republic,” and described it as unconstitutional and in bad faith.