At the preliminary press briefing of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) on the outcome of Ghana’s 2012 at the Best
Western Hotel in Accra on Saturday, a local journalist forced former
Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo, the ECOWAS Head of Mission, to
re-examine his credentials as a democrat.
The occasion was the Question and Answer segment that followed the
presentation of the preliminary report presentation of the Commission by
the Deputy Head of Mission.
As one of the Commission's recommendations curiously calls for a
media framework to curtail the “excesses” of the media in election
reporting, the first time such a recommendation has found its way into
an official ECOWAS document, a journalist in the gallery sought
clarification on the proposed the media framework, in a question
addressed to “General” Obasanjo.
The immediacy of the attack was not lost on Obasanjo, who promptly
tackled the reference, in the process exposing himself as the author of
the anti-freedom of information recommendation.
"My friend, I don't know why you address me as General Obasanjo,” the two-time Nigeria leader said.
“In Nigeria where I am the former president, it is my political
opponents that address me as “General” Obasanjo when they want to show
me as a dictator. My party call me Chief Obasanjo. It now depends on
which side you belong".
The exchange threw the whole room into uncontrollable laughter before
Obasanjo turned to the request for him to expatiate on his media
framework proposal which is regarded among journalists and other
election observers as reactionary and repressive.
Obasanjo said he believes there used a law to "curtail the excesses"
of the Ghanaian media in the reportage of election process, and tried to
distinguish between "right of information" as opposed to "freedom of
information" in journalism and access to information.
In Ghana, Obasanjo’s assessment and position contradicts the popular
verdict of independent, local and international observers of the
election. It is believed that the proactive, efficient, timely,
accurate and popular reportage of developments at polling units and
transmission of verified results for public consumption is the missing
recipe for transparent, popular, free and fair election in many African
countries, including Nigeria.
In this regard, Ghana has over 1500 FM radio stations, community
radios inclusive. Correspondents and reporters have been in polling
units across the country, transmitting certified results live to their
stations.
It is believed that the positive influence of such media
participation does not meet with Obasanjo’s approval, as he is known to
cherish secrecy in the election process that can be manipulated at the
last minute as has been widely-done in his Peoples Democratic Party in
Nigeria.
In 2006, Obasanjo single-handedly chose his party’s presidential
ticket, and superintended a rigged election that brought Umaru Yar’Adua
and Goodluck Jonathan to power.
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