Following the slapping of a Journalist in Imo State by member representing Ohaji/Egbema state constituency at the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon Emma Orie, The Coalition of Journalists Against Corruption (COJAC) has strongly condemned the act which described as an embarrassing situation.
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Speaking to newsmen in Owerri, Imo State capital, the Convener of COJAC, Chigozie Uzosike described the act by the lawmaker as not only uncivil but uncalled for, adding that the lawmaker has no ‘locus inquo’ to slap a Journalist on duty especially at a public function.
Uzosike stated that the lawmaker was trying to set bad undemocratic precedence by harassing the Nigerian Horn Newspaper reporter, Destiny Isinwa.
The Coalition urged the lawmaker who is a public figure to save the House of Assembly’s image and that of his constituency by publicly apologizing to the Journalist involved and other Journalists who felt slighted and to the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Imo State Council, newspaper publishers in the state and to the society.
Failure to do so according to the group would amount to dragging the image of the Imo State House of Assembly and others to the mire.
The Convener of COJAC, who is also the Secretary of Imo State Editors Forum called on politicians not to harass any journalist on duty or drag journalists into the murky waters of politics, adding that journalists are to represent divergent views of politics.