<\/p>\n
The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) says it has evidence
\nthat a top management staff of the Nigerian Maritime Administration &
\nSafety Agency (NIMASA) is behind the dirty campaigns of hate against the
\npresidential candidate of APC, General Muhammadu Buhari and his family
\naired in the recent documentary by AIT and NTA.<\/p>\n
The APCPCO’s Director of Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu said that
\nthe Campaign Office has confirmed that the agency was indeed the sponsor
\nof all the dirty campaigns against the APC presidential candidate on AIT,
\nNTA and several other media platforms.<\/p>\n
This, according to Shehu, contravenes the NIMASA Act, the Public Service
\nRegulations, and the INEC Act 2010 as amended, among others.<\/p>\n
The APCPCO decried the situation where a government agency uses public
\nfunds to sponsor a campaign of calumny against its candidate, which it
\nsaid is not only illegal, but should also be condemned and investigated by
\nthe Joint Committees of the National Assembly on Marine Transportation.<\/p>\n
If these claims were to be found to be true by the Joint Committee, the
\nstatement said, disciplinary action should be taken against the agency and
\nits leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a well known fact that the Director General of the Agency, Mr.
\nZiakede Patrick Akpobolokemi was President Goodluck Jonathan’s and a
\nwell-known ex-militant’s errand boy. He was appointed there for the sole
\naim of satisfying an ex-militant\u2019s camp, an assignment he has carried out
\nwell to the satisfaction of those who put him there through the award of a
\nconcessionaire phantom PPP project. Under this contract, a certain
\ncompany, (Global West Vessels Specialists Ltd) was handed the legal
\nresponsibility of the Nigerian Navy (NN) of protecting the Nation\u2019s
\nWaterway and NIMASA\u2019s Maritime Security function to the surprise of all
\nindustry observers and yet fail woefully in offering the necessary
\nprotection for the theft of Nigerian Crude Oil, which has only increased
\nsince then among other sea related crimes.”<\/p>\n
The statement also condemned the illegal use of public funds by the chief
\nexecutive of any government agency to finance disparaging media campaign
\nagainst an opposition candidate.<\/p>\n
The APCPCO decried the increasing helplessness of regulatory agencies in
\nthe country, charged with the certification of commercial advertising,
\nthat are now being ignored by the PDP in placing libellous and defamatory
\ncampaign materials against the opposition in TV stations they control.<\/p>\n
According to the statement, President Jonathan should prove to Nigerians
\nthat he is sincerely committed to the rule of law by taking immediate
\naction against the NIMASA boss.
\n“It is not enough for President Jonathan to claim he doesn\u2019t know the
\nsponsors of smear adverts if he lacks the courage to punish them once they
\nare exposed,” Shehu said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) says it has evidence that a top management staff of the Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency (NIMASA) is behind the dirty campaigns…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n