Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned against what he described as the “technical censorship” of online news platform Peoples Gazette.
Managing editor of Peoples Gazette Samuel Ogundipe, a former Premium Times journalist, had in a statement on Wednesday alleged the Federal Government was disrupting access to its website.
He claimed the disruption began on Tuesday following a directive from the government to telecommunications firms in the country.
Atiku, however, said in a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday that the Federal Government must allow freedom of the press.
“I have received with concern, reports of technical censorship of @GazetteNGR, an independent online newspaper, ostensibly by agents of the Federal Government of Nigeria. This is not acceptable,” he said.
“Press freedom is not only a constitutionally guaranteed right but an integral component of democracy.
“The battle for the democracy that Nigeria enjoys today was fought and won with the Nigerian media standing in the frontline against anti-democratic forces.
“Sadly today, it seems as though our victory 22 years ago was half-won as there still exists oppressive tendencies of the past.
“As a Democrat and believer in press freedom, I denounce every attempt to gag the media in Nigeria.”
Atiku said he believes Nigeria’s democracy is benchmarked on the principle of a republican government, adding that the Nigerian people deserve to have access to information about the government.
Launched in 2020, Peoples Gazette has been critical of the Buhari administration.
