Mr. Enang, a former senator who represented Uyo Senatorial District, was a studio guest, Saturday, in the radio station interview programme “Community Views”.
Enang’s remarks, especially concerning the DSS controversial
raid on the Akwa Ibom Government House is said to have rattled Governor
Emmanuel and his political associates which prompted the Commissioner for
Information, Aniekan Umanah to quickly put a call through to the private radio
station asking them to discontinue the interview, a source close to the commissioner
told Think Akwa Ibom!
Enang, while defending the reported search on Akwa Ibom
Government House by the DSS, said the immunity which the state governor has
does not extend to buildings such as government house, government guest houses
and government secretariats. He said the search by the secret service was on
the state government-owned presidential lodge where Gov. Emmanuel’s
predecessor, Godswill Akpabio is housed, and not the official residence of the
governor.
“The elders of Akwa Ibom should endeavour to tell the people
the truth that the government house has no immunity, that the governor (Udom
Emmanuel) is yet to officially occupy the government house,” Enang said, while
explaining that the DSS is empowered by the Nigerian constitution to search any
location, including government houses, in the country.
The source who informed Think
Akwa Ibom! how the state information commissioner tried to stop the radio station
from continuing with its interview with Enang, said from Mr. Umanah’s telephone
conversation, he was able to deduce that Planet
FM wasn’t ready to give in to the government demand.
“From what he (Aniekan Umanah) was saying I could sense that
he was disappointed with whoever he was on phone with. He was telling the
person that Ita Enang was part of APC’s script to destabilise the government of
Udom Emmanuel,” the source said, while quoting the commissioner as saying “the
governor feels disappointed that Planet
FM has allowed itself to be used as a platform for the opposition in the state”.
Planet FM is yet
to respond to Think Akwa Ibom!’s
enquiry on the issue.
However, immediately after its interview with Enang, the
radio station aired a curious announcement debunking ‘claims’ that they had
bias for a particular political party in Akwa Ibom State. The station later
went ahead, Sunday, to do a repeat broadcast of the interview with Enang.
Planet FM was involved
in a similar controversy, January 2014, when it was accused of blocking Senator
Aloysius Etok from speaking on a scheduled live interview allegedly on the
orders of the Akwa Ibom State government, during the administration of Godswill
Akpabio.
Please note, it's SENATOR ITA ENANG not former senator ITA ENANG. Once a senator always a senator. Also correct the impression 'akwa ibom elders' should not be given to any group of individuals. Like elders of pdp or any other groups.
ReplyDelete