The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has apologized to Citi FM/Citi TV and the station’s Northern Regional Correspondent, Mohammed Aminu M. Alabira, following an attack on the reporter by the party’s Member of Parliament for Yendi, Farouk Aliu Mahama, during the parliamentary primary.
Mr. Aliu Mahama and his team unleashed mayhem on Alabira while he was covering the chaos that disrupted the New Patriotic Party’s parliamentary primary in the Yendi constituency.
Alabira made an official report of the incident at the Yendi Divisional Police Command.
Mr. Alabira was filing a live report at the time and offered the MP an opportunity to present his side of what may have instigated the violence, but instead, he received a slap from the legislator.
During an interview on The Big Issue, a news analysis programme on Citi TV/Citi FM, on Saturday, the Communications Director of NPP, Richard Ahiagbah, rendered an apology to Alabira, and expressed his sympathy.
He acknowledged that journalists must be given the needed protection in their line of duties to serve the country devoid of any intimidation, stating that the party is not known for manhandling journalists.
“I tried to reach out to him [Alabira] when I came to the knowledge of this matter. I’m very sympathetic to the situation he may have gone through. The preliminary videos that I have seen suggest there was a tussle there, so I will not discount any claim that suggests that anybody had suffered any mistreatment. I will associate with many to apologize and to be clear that the NPP, we do not do business that way. That is not who we are; our values transcend the happenings there.”
“We believe in allowing democracy to prevail, and that includes the media, who have to amplify reports to let citizens know what is happening. We believe that their protection is paramount, and so before full evidence is adduced, I think that we need to apologize and recognize the reporter’s claims, which are being disputed. I’m sympathetic with that position and will not condone anything like that being done to anybody,” he told the host of the show, Selorm Adonoo.
The Northern Regional Police Command on January 29, 2024, took over the investigation into the assault.
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