The
African African Congress (AAC) has filed a lawsuit against the Nigeria
Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of
Nigeria (BON) over the exclusion of its presidential candidate, Omoyele
Sowore, from the presidential debate. A statement by Malcolm Fabiyi,
Director General of the TakeItBack Movement and Sowore 2019 Campaign,
noted that the lawsuit was filed on Wednesday. The suit, filed by
Barrister Inibehe Effiong, the AAC Legal Adviser, asked the court to
prevent the debate from going ahead without AAC. It also asked the court
to compel the NEDG/BON to explain why the party was excluded from the
debate. Speaking on why the party instituted a case against NEDG and
BON, Fabiyi said: "The Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG), in
association with the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria and Channels
TV, has been resolute in its discrimination against Omoyele Sowore,
presidential candidate for the African Action Congress. Despite being
one of the top three parties in polls and surveys, the NEDG fraudulently
excluded the AAC and selected other parties for the debate. The NEDG
has cited multiple excuses for its discriminatory refusal to include the
AAC. None of those excuses hold water."The nation is aware by now that
the AAC party and the Take it Back Movement will not take injustice,
discrimination or oppression lightly. We do not accept it when meted out
to innocent Nigerians as we have shown in various protests, and we
certainly will not accept it against ourselves or our efforts."This
lawsuit should not only help ensure that the right of all Nigerians to
have an authentic, unfiltered debate about the Nigeria’s future is
assured, it would also serve notice to all those who hide behind
legitimate institutions and organizations to perpetuate the oppression
and the drowning out of legitimate voices from national discourse, that
their days of impunity are over."We hope that the Nigerian judicial
system will show itself to be strong, virile and independent as this
case makes it way through the courts. Nigeria MUST progress."Sowore sues NEDG/BON, asking the court to stop Presidential debate from holding without him
The
African African Congress (AAC) has filed a lawsuit against the Nigeria
Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of
Nigeria (BON) over the exclusion of its presidential candidate, Omoyele
Sowore, from the presidential debate. A statement by Malcolm Fabiyi,
Director General of the TakeItBack Movement and Sowore 2019 Campaign,
noted that the lawsuit was filed on Wednesday. The suit, filed by
Barrister Inibehe Effiong, the AAC Legal Adviser, asked the court to
prevent the debate from going ahead without AAC. It also asked the court
to compel the NEDG/BON to explain why the party was excluded from the
debate. Speaking on why the party instituted a case against NEDG and
BON, Fabiyi said: "The Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG), in
association with the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria and Channels
TV, has been resolute in its discrimination against Omoyele Sowore,
presidential candidate for the African Action Congress. Despite being
one of the top three parties in polls and surveys, the NEDG fraudulently
excluded the AAC and selected other parties for the debate. The NEDG
has cited multiple excuses for its discriminatory refusal to include the
AAC. None of those excuses hold water."The nation is aware by now that
the AAC party and the Take it Back Movement will not take injustice,
discrimination or oppression lightly. We do not accept it when meted out
to innocent Nigerians as we have shown in various protests, and we
certainly will not accept it against ourselves or our efforts."This
lawsuit should not only help ensure that the right of all Nigerians to
have an authentic, unfiltered debate about the Nigeria’s future is
assured, it would also serve notice to all those who hide behind
legitimate institutions and organizations to perpetuate the oppression
and the drowning out of legitimate voices from national discourse, that
their days of impunity are over."We hope that the Nigerian judicial
system will show itself to be strong, virile and independent as this
case makes it way through the courts. Nigeria MUST progress."
