Intrigues, disbelief and disappointment stare Edo Journalists in the face, hours before PDP Primary election

 By Bernadette Idalu
Journalists who left home in high spirits to cover the Edo 2024 People's Democratic Party (PDP) primary election to elect its flagbearer for the off cycle governorship election slated for September 21, 2024, reeled in disbelief when most of them got turned back without due accreditation.

Members of the Edo State Council, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who interestingly turned up in their numbers today, February 22, 2024, at the Marque Event Center, (former Edo Hotel), venue of the accreditation, were puzzled when they got informed by the Special Adviser (SA) to the Edo State Governor on Media Projects, Pastor Crusoe Osagie that the presence of only ten print journalists and five television stations were needed to cover the party's primary election scheduled for the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City,  Edo State.

This however was in sharp contrast to an earlier release, yesterday, signed and made available to members of the press by Mr. Tony Anenih (Jnr), calling on members of the press to convene at the Marque Event Center for accreditation.

Secretary, Edo Online Media Practitioners, Mr. Samuel Dada Ayokhai whose members incidentally got sidelined in the scheme of things condemned the action of the SA Media to the Edo State Governor.

Speaking out through a press statement he wondered why a screening and accreditation process which was supposed to be handled by the PDP as a party was now being undertaken by an Edo state government official.

He said, "It is disheartening to learn that Crusoe Osagie has specifically said that no Online Media Practitioner, a body duly recognized by the Nigeria Union Of Journalists,( NUJ) and Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria ( NPAN) should not be allowed into the venue of the primary. Only time will tell what he intends to achieve by this counter productive directive."

Reacting to the 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 adding that he has a choice to choose between his office as SA Media or that of the Publicity Secretary of the PDP.

For now, many journalists are caught sitting on the fence as they watch and muse about unfolding intrigues from a distance.

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