HURIDE Urges Governor Ayade to Release Agba Jalingo

…Lambast PDP for encouraging tyranny

Governor Benedict Ayade of Cross River State has been urged to immediately release Journalist Agba Jalingo who has been incacerated in Calabar on the orders of the Governor for several months now.

The Human Right, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE), which made the call after its national executive meeting in FCT Abuja weekend  lashed at  the leadership of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for keeping mum, while the innocent journalist was languishing in prison at the instance of  its own Governor.

The Chairman, Board of Trustees of HURIDE, Dede Uzor A Uzor and its (acting) Campagn and publicity Secretary Mazi Ugochukwu E. C Ugochukwu said while addressing newsmen ” in Abuja said that, we  unequivocally condemn the grave injustice meted out to  this defenceless journalist, who has been languishing in prison for a crime he did not  commit. We call for  his mmediate and unconditional release”

Continuing the group asked ” is People Democratic Party really democratic? The leaders and members of PDP  kept  on castigating  Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd)  for disobeying valid  Court orders but they entrench fascism and authoritariansim in a democratic state.

They  continue to maintain grave silence on the persecution of Journalist Agba Jalingo by the Governor of Cross River State, Benedict  Ayade, who rode to Government House under the platform of the Peoples  Democratic Party” It is a shame for those of them who claim to be Democrats”.

Journalist Jalingo, the publisher of an  online media outfit,  Cross River Watch, has been  in prison custody  in Calabar for months now.
He was  charged with treasonable  felony, terrorism and a plot to overthrow Cross River State Governor over a report he published alleging the diversion of 500 million naira. 

But HURIDE said to equate publication of an alleged diversion of fund with treason  was  “absolutely preposterous, wicked and despotic”. 
HURIDE said ” a  free press without a government is better than a government without a free press. We  call on the Cross River State Governor  to unconditionally and  immediately release Agba Jalingo  and drop the ridiculous and ostentatious charges against him.

 They also called on the leadership of PDP and people of good conscience to bring pressure to bear on Governor Ayade to release this journalist without further delay.

We shall without further delay moblize Nigerias from all works of life to storm Cross River for if within 14 days citizen Jalingo was not released.