Spokesman of the Obi/Datti campaign in the 2023 general election, Dele Farotimi says if anything happens to him, everyone knows who to look to.
Farotimi, who is also a lawyer, stated this in a video posted on YouTube.
His statement is in reaction to the warning of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
The NBC had issued a final warning to the Arise News Channel over alleged derogatory and incendiary remarks by its guests against President Bola Tinubu.
According to a letter addressed to the chief executive officer (CEO), Arise Global Media Limited, dated Friday, October 6, 2023, and titled, “Preponderance Of Derogatory And Incendiary Rremarks: Final Warning”, NBC said it has observed with concern the preponderance of incendiary remarks allowed on Arise News Channel.
“This letter once again seeks to underscore the tremendous responsibility put on the broadcaster to manage the array of guests that may feature on the station from time to time.
“For the benefit of the doubt, on October 5, 2023, during the programme “The Morning Show” anchored by Reuben Abali, Rufai Useni, and Ayo Mairo Ese featured Oladotun Hassan and Dele Farotimi as Guests. The programme contained unguarded incendiary remarks by Dele Farotimi against the legislature, Executive, Judiciary, and Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Dele Farotimi while responding to Dr. Reuben Abali’s question, remarked that the person who holds the highest office in the land is a career criminal.
But, according to Farotimi, he can not be silenced by the NBC.
He noted that he intends to challenge the legality of NBC’s public statement that he believes unfairly negatively portrayed him if the broadcasting umpire does not retract it.
He said “I had the lawyer write to the NBC and my position is very clear: I will not be silenced, and I will test the laws if the NBC fails to retract what it released in the public space presuming to label a dog a bad name so that it will hang it.
“But as long as we are in a constitutional democracy, let me be clear that I will not be silenced. Those who are familiar with the machinations of the Baptists in Lagos state will recall that over two years ago, I made a report to both the police and the DSS about direct planning by named persons, and at that time they did nothing. I do not expect any better from them this time but let nobody be in any doubt, if anything untoward should happen to me, you know who to look to. I am not going to be silenced”.
