PRESIDENCY TO PUNCH: YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CHANGE BUHARI’S OFFICIAL TITLE
The Presidency has said no newspaper has the right to unilaterally change the official title of President Muhammadu Buhari.
This was in reaction to the editorial policy of Punch of Wednesday where the paper said it would henceforth address the President as Major General Muhammadu Buhari which was his last rank before retirement from the army and the administration as regime as a symbolic demonstration of its protest against alleged “autocracy and military-style repression.
This was in reaction to the editorial policy of Punch of Wednesday where the paper said it would henceforth address the President as Major General Muhammadu Buhari which was his last rank before retirement from the army and the administration as regime as a symbolic demonstration of its protest against alleged “autocracy and military-style repression.
Although, the Special
Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina had earlier
in his reaction to the Punch new editorial policy said that there was nothing
untoward addressing Buhari as Major General, the Senior Special Assistant to
the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said that the paper
lacks the right to change the President’s resignation.
NAN reports Shehu as
saying it was unprecedented and absurd in the country’s recent political
history to change the title of the President, adding that the paper never
changed President Olusegun Obasanjo’s title from the President to General
Obasanjo, despite alleged constitutional infractions by the
administration.
The statement read...
“The reported new editorial policy of the Punch Newspapers to address President Muhammadu Buhari as Major General in his official title and refer to his government as a regime instead of administration, comes to us as totally curious and utterly incredible. The paper claimed that it is changing President Buhari’s official title to General because of his government’s alleged disregard for the rule of law. Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), for that, is his title, and he was indeed a Major General, but today retired from that position and now twice democratically elected president of Nigeria – is not the choice of Punch Newspaper’s editors and owners, that is clear. “He is, however, the two-time electoral choice of the voters of Nigeria, those very people who Punch Newspapers described this morning as “lethargic”: a disdaining epithet apportioned to decent, hard-working, everyday Nigerians for not agreeing with, and for not having voted in line with their publication’s editorial and political opinions. “Punch’s editorial today is, however, entirely in line with holding and exercising the right of free speech and freedom of the press, as my friend and colleague, Femi Adesina said earlier today. Femi, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity said the fact the Punch can insult the President in a front-page editorial and they go home to sleep, peacefully, is the best testimony to the prevalence of the freedom of the press and of expression in the country. To quote him, “rather than being pejorative, addressing President Buhari by his military rank is another testimony to free speech and freedom of the press, which this administration (or regime, if anyone prefers: it is a matter of semantics) has pledged to uphold and preserve.”
The Presidential spokesman
further said, “In countries around the world where this right does not exist,
newspapers do not publish articles such as the one Punch did today (yesterday);
nor do they get to express political opinions contrary to that of government.
The exact freedoms Punch claims are missing is self-evident here – in print, on
the internet – for all Nigerians and the whole world to see.
“There is nothing wrong
with expressing contrary opinions to this government – nor being in opposition
to the president: this is the right of every Nigerian.”
“However, calling for the
armed overthrow of the democratically elected administration is a different
matter entirely: this Punch has in no way done – but others who they seek to
defend, have.
“There is a difference.
Punch: oppose the government as much as you want to. ” We welcome your
contribution to the debate. But we ask you not to throw insults at the good
voters of Nigeria for not agreeing to your choice at the last election.
“Oppose in good humour:
for that is the mark of the true democrat – that which you purport to be. It is
not within the power or rights of a newspaper to unilaterally and whimsically
change the formal official title or the designation of the country’s President
as it pleases.
“It is unprecedented and
absurd in our recent political history. The Punch never changed President
Olusegun Obasanjo’s title from the President to General Obasanjo, despite the
latter’s refusal to comply with Supreme Court judgment, ordering him to release
N30 billion of Lagos State local councils funds.
“When General Ibrahim
Babangida who wasn’t democratically elected assumed the title of President, why
didn’t the Punch challenge him or address him by any title it so desired? In
fact, IBB closed media houses for several months and years, including Punch.
But the paper didn’t stop addressing him as President, despite the fact that he
wasn’t elected. “It is obvious that the Punch newspapers are playing partisan
opposition politics which has nothing to do with journalism. The Constitution
of Nigeria recognises the President as the formal official title of the
occupant of that office. Can the Punch newspapers, in their hubris address the
President as Prime Minister as it pleases? Is it within the paper’s
responsibility or power to change the official title of the man who occupies
the office of the President? Does that mean any newspaper is free to address
the Comptroller General of Customs a Colonel rather than his official title?
“The Punch newspaper
should separate journalism from partisan politics. What it is embarking upon is
purely political and it is designed to play to the gallery and cause confusion.
” Punch Newspaper’s double standards in cuddling some of our past dictators and
their open contempt for President Buhari clearly show that the paper has
sinister motives for its current curious editorial judgment. Its personal
hatred for and animus towards President Buhari should not be allowed to becloud
its good judgment.”
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