ABUJA, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria: Otega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to Nigeria‘s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Sunday, April 19, 2026, regarding his statements on a recent media directive.
Okay News reports that Ogra released a counterstatement on the social media platform X, challenging Abubakar over his condemnation of a regulatory warning issued by the National Broadcasting Commission. The commission released a statement on Saturday, April 18, 2026, instructing television broadcasters to adhere to the Nigerian Broadcasting Code ahead of the 2027 elections.
Prior to the counterstatement, Abubakar stated the media regulator was attempting to “muzzle the media and shrink the space for free expression in Nigeria.”
In response, the presidential aide referenced a past broadcasting directive issued during Abubakar’s tenure in office. “First off, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar… are you saying the NBC regulatory warning on January 17, 2007 for broadcasters to follow the code of practice when you were VP was an attempt by your administration to illegally muzzle opposition?” Ogra said.
“Is that what you are trying to project on them now, seeing that may have been your thought process when they simply did their job back then?” Ogra said.
The aide questioned the former vice-president’s understanding of regulatory boundaries. “You want to contest again to lead our country yet you cannot deduce the difference between a regulator doing its regulatory work as clearly spelt out by its establishing laws, and regulatory overreach,” he said.
Ogra additionally referenced Abubakar’s previous position as Chairman of the Nigeria Council on Privatisation. “No wonder almost all the actions you took as Chairman of Nigeria Council on Privatisation… led to failures across many fronts,” he said.
The presidential aide concluded his statement by suggesting the former vice-president should “proofread what your handlers… are writing on your behalf.”
