The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has defended his reported dismissal of Channels TV correspondent, Chris Mofatt, and his cameraman from the Government House Uyo Press Corps, on Tuesday, saying that it was in good faith and not for any punitive motive.
Widespread condemnation trailed the governor’s dismissal, through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Ekerete Udoh, of the Mofatt’s headed crew of Channels TV from Government House Uyo, after a cameraman shared video went viral on Umo warning all his political appointees to align with looming defection out of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Yesterday, at the commissioning of the upgraded 14.8KM Ikot Ubo-Odot Road transversing Nsit Ubium, Nsit Atai Local Government Areas, the governor, in denial, said the Channels crew was not dismissed, but changed in perceived standard procedure.
“I think it’s within the purview of the CPS to change correspondents within the Government House. It is practiced all over the world. If you have served at a post for up to 10 years and the CPS decides to ask for a replacement, that is not a fight.
“It is within the prerogative of his office. The governor does not even have to know. So, there is no problem. This afternoon, Channels is here beaming us live. We work with all media houses,” he said.
He said his administration, recognising the place of the media in nation-building, would not continue to work with the media as valued partners.
Over the removal last week Friday of the Mofatt-led Channel’s crew, Government House sources had revealed, “The Channels TV cameraman let out the video and all hell were let loose as it went viral. The CPS was angry that it was supposed to be an inhouse thing and the governor was livid that they let it out.”
A lawyer and activist, Inebehe Effiong, reacted to the development.
“This (Governor Emo) is the man who calls himself a Pastor. He wants to defect from PDP to APC. He announced his intention to defect, but he is pissed that Channels TV published a video of his announcement.
“Channels could not have covered the meeting without invitation. They could not have recorded the meeting secretly. If you are proud of your planned defection, why are you targeting the media for doing its job?” he said.