LAGOS DECEMBER 8TH (URHOBOTODAY)-President Muhammadu Buhari will not assent to any bill that is inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, in a statement he issued monday reacting to the media law being proposed by the Senate allegedly to muzzle online publishing, said the presidency did not support the bill in question.
The statement reiterated the commitment of the Buhari administration to the protection of free speech in keeping with democratic traditions.
Shehu said the president had sworn to defend the constitution of Nigeria and would not lend his hand to anything that was inconsistent with the constitution.
The statement read: “But he is not averse to lawful regulation, so long as that is done within the ambit of the constitution which he swore to uphold.
“The president said free speech is central to democratic societies anywhere in the world. The president explained that without free speech, elected representatives won’t be able to gauge public feelings and moods about governance issues.
“As a key component of democratic principles, the president acknowledged that people in democratic societies “are so emotionally attached to free speech that they would defend it with all their might.”
Shehu said Buhari was fully aware of the public reservations about the proposed legislation but said there was no cause for alarm “because the Senate is a democratic senate.
“The president won’t assent to any legislation that may be inconsistent with the constitution of Nigeria,” he added.