The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Tuesday dissociated itself from the recent assault and physical attack on the Sun correspondent, Mr Ndubusi Orji, in Abuja at the party national secretariat Monday while he was carrying out his duty.
While addressing the issue, the party national publicity secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, described the incident as very unfortunate and regrettable.
The party in the statement restated its commitment to the rule of law and the democratic tenets of freedom of the press, transparency, and openness.
The party said: “PDP strongly condemns and completely dissociates itself from such act of violence and attack on members of the press and the institution of the media which is critical to the activities of our party and the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.”
The party insisted that for clarity sake, the PDP national secretariat is closed for secretarial activities to enable staff to participate in the Yuletide festivities with their families and the party insisted that it did not preclude anybody, particularly the press from having access to the secretariat to conduct their legitimate business.
The statement reads further: “The leadership of the PDP has received a very disturbing report that a staff of our party, Mr. Emmanuel Okoronkwo, Monday assaulted, a correspondent of the Sun Newspapers, Mr. Ndubuisi Orji, locked out and forcefully prevented other journalists accredited to cover the activities of the PDP from gaining access into the premises of the national secretariat of our party to conduct their legitimate duties.
“The PDP, as a party committed to the rule of law and the democratic tenets of freedom of the press, transparency and openness strongly condemns and completely dissociates itself from such act of violence and attack on members of the press and the institution of the media which is critical to the activities of our party and the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.
“For clarity, whereas the PDP national secretariat is closed for secretarial activities to enable our staff 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.
“Moreover, Mr. Okoronkwo is not in the security department of the party and has no business whatsoever regarding the regulation of movements into the complex. He acted on his own, in violation of democratic and all-inclusive principles for which the PDP is known and outside the code of conduct guiding activities of staff at the PDP national secretariat.”
