Ex-Lawmaker, Nwulu reacts to accusations that he threatened journalist, Okpe Epia
A former member of the House of Representative, Tony Nwulu has refuted allegations that he threatened Oke Epia, publisher of OrderPaper Nigeria over a report published against his person [Nwulu].
Epia, had earlier claimed that he received threatening calls from Nwulu and “strange persons” some of whom refused to identify themselves.
Nwulu who made the rebuttal in a statement he issued on Wednesday, denied using the Nigerian police to attack Epia while stressing that he has lot of respect for journalists and the media
The ex-lawmaker, however, said he only reported the issue to the Police because of the weight of the allegations made against me.
His words, “I am the one who went to the Police. I did this to exercise my constitutional rights as someone who has been defamed under the guise of “journalism”. I reported this issue to the Police because of the weight of the allegations made against me.
“These allegations are unsubstantiated and no responsible media house anywhere in the world should use words like “missing funds” or “tens of millions” without any shred of evidence to back up such claims. It is against the tenets of professional media practice just as it is a common principle of law that he who alleges must prove.
It is my hope that at the end of this whole process, the law takes its course and the truth is allowed to prevail. I also hope that this will serve as an incident that enriches broad conversations around the professional ethics that guide the practice of real journalism.”
Nwulu added: “I have a lot of respect for journalists and the media as the fourth estate of our democracy, especially in the face of the risk that they undertake on a daily basis to keep us informed. I say this with special tribute to the late Precious Owolabi, a corper who served as a correspondent with Channels TV but was shot dead while on duty.
“The Not Too Young to Run bill that I sponsored enjoyed the greatest media support because of the tireless efforts of journalists who supported me. But I charge journalists to device means of identifying those I call wolves in journalist’s skin. As a major stakeholder and beneficiary in journalism, I can never undermine a journalist. I believe in freedom of the press.
